Landlords must learn how to address leaks involving leaseholders and shared owners, says Ombudsman

The Housing Ombudsman said social landlords must give extra considerations to fixing leaks that may affect a leaseholder or shared owner.

The watchdog warned that failure to do this can make leak cases more “complex” to resolve, in its latest Learning from Severe Maladministration report.

For example, it took Onward Homes three years to fix a leak for a shared owner, during which time the property’s ceiling collapsed.

The ombudsman said poor record keeping prevented the housing association from addressing the leak faster. It also failed to respond to four emergency calls until the next day.

Normally a shared owner is responsible for the inside of their home, but this is not the case when the structure causes the damage.

The resident had to move out of her home due to safety concerns but Onward did not assess whether she needed a temporary move until almost a year later.

Onward told the Ombudsman in its learning statement that it has since changed its case management process to focus resources and ensure it resolves complex cases to a satisfactory outcome for the resident. It has also established groups who review complaints and insights to improve customer care.

Meanwhile, a case involving the London Borough of Tower Hamlets highlighted the complexity of addressing leaks that affect a neighbouring leaseholder.

The landlord repeatedly failed to access the neighbouring flat of a complainant due to poor communication with the neighbour, which left a leak unresolved for four years.

During this time the council’s tenant reported having no light in her kitchen or bathroom, meaning her children had to shower elsewhere. She also said she could not invite people to her home because of the damp and mould caused by the leak.

The landlord was found to have not taken her chronic pain and respiratory conditions into account.

>>See also: ‘Not just transactions’: Richard Blakeway explains how he wants to work with the sector to ensure complaints are a catalyst for real change

The council in it statement said it since reviewed its complaint management system and developed faster assessments through its leaks process and adopted more temporary mitigation measures. This seeks to prevent escalation and safeguards residents.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “The challenge of handling these situations is apparent. Where it could have been handled better is fulfilling legal processes and considering mitigations for the residents impacted, including temporary moves.

“It underscores landlord accountability – the operating environment may be complex, but this does not absolve obligations.”

As well as complexities driven by the need to liaise with freeholders, leaseholders and other tenants, the ombudsman also highlighted complex leak cases compounded by repairs oversight.

For example, Southern Housing was found to have failed to show effective oversight for a leak, where the issue remained unresolved for 31 months.

During this period, the property’s ceiling collapsed after the landlord did not issue an inspection following a complaint. It also did not investigate the cause of the collapse.

Throughout the case, the housing association or its contractors claimed the necessary repairs were complete and the home was safe despite this being untrue, which negatively impacted the lives of the resident and her children. At one point, cockroaches entered the home after an operative left a repair unfinished.

Southern has now reported that its in-house team has completed nearly 70% of repairs since this complaint. It has also introduced a dedicated team for damp and mould issues, which prioritises any health-related concerns.

Blakeway added: “What connects the cases in this report is complexity. Managing that complexity brings the need for effective controls, reliable data and good communication. Unfortunately, such controls can be lacking.

“Inevitably, poor data contributes to poor oversight of operatives or contractors. This leads to delays, confusion over works and tasks being passed between different parties. This inefficiency impacts the resident but also costs the landlords.”