Findings include a resident and his children left living in a caravan and a customer who terminated her tenancy
The Housing Ombudsman has put three landlords in the spotlight for instances of poorly handled temporary moves, demonstrating the “human cost” of unclear procedures in its latest report.
The watchdog handed out wider orders, which allows it to extend its authority beyond individual complaints to address broader issues affecting residents, to social landlords Trident, Wigan Council and Moat.
A wider order was issued to Wigan Council after a resident and his children were left living in a caravan because the landlord had refused a temporary move.
The ombudsman found that decisions to not move a tenant temporarily out of their home were not recorded. The council began recording these instances immediately after the recommendation was made.
The independent review into its management of decants found 37 cases, with the longest period of a resident being displaced being 888 days. The average temporary move was 286 days.
In its learning statement, Wigan Council said: “The investigation highlighted significant shortcomings in applying our decant policy, documenting decisions, and communicating empathetically during a period of displacement. We recognise that failing to assess and record the resident’s needs caused prolonged hardship and distress, which was unacceptable.”
It reported that it has completed a full review of its procedures and implemented immediate improvements, including strengthened oversight of temporary move requests and refreshing staff on the need for policy compliance.
In the case of Moat, a resident was not temporarily moved following complaints of structural damp and mould, which resulted in her ending her tenancy.
Due to poor record-keeping, the housing association was unable to explain why a temporary move was not arranged despite this being promised in a stage two letter.
In its learning statement, Moat said: “We’re truly sorry for failing our customer and for the distress this has caused. We should have done more to keep them updated, manage our contractor, and proactively follow up on our promises – we’re acting on the ombudsman’s recommendations to make meaningful improvements.”
It also said it has removed trees around the block to improve the structural stability of homes and is implementing a new complaint operating model to ensure customers are updated regularly.
Meanwhile, a Trident tenant was relocated for a year while the ombudsman dealt with a leak, with the housing association often lacking records of the move and being unable to keep the resident updated on the process.
An independent review found its temporary moves policy to be outdated, brief and unsupported by any procedure documents as well as being inconsiderate of individual circumstances and having unclearly defined roles.
It also found that staff were unaware of the original policy and stated that a lack of oversight of the decanting service meant the resident was left in a hotel with no fridge or chair.
In its learning statement, Trident said: “Trident acknowledges the impact this case had on the resident and deeply regrets the distress caused. We have taken the Ombudsman’s findings seriously and used them as a catalyst for meaningful change.
“To drive improvement, we established a dedicated customer experience team implementing changes across the organisation. This includes bi-monthly cross-departmental meetings to enhance collaboration and resolve complex cases more effectively.”
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “The disruption, financial implications and shortage of alternative accommodation mean landlords, and sometimes residents, can be reluctant to make a temporary move.
“There are strong reoccurring themes across 3 different landlords: unclear procedures, inadequate oversight, poor communication and records, and a loss of focus on the individual’s circumstances.”
He added that Awaab’s Law, which came into force at the end of October, “places clearer responsibilities on landlords around temporary moves.”
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