Formal complaints about damp and mouldy conditions in social housing in London have soared to a record high. Exclusive figures show that the Housing Ombudsman Service handled 2,474 complaints about leaks, damp and mould in the city last year, an almost eight-fold increase on the 321 reported in 2020.
The rise is part of a wider increase in complaints seen over the last few years, with 8,927 in London escalated to the ombudsman in 2023. That was up from 7,517 complaints the year before, and more than double the 3,556 dealt with in 2020.
The huge increase in escalated complaints seen in London reflects a trend seen across the UK. The ombudsman says several factors are likely behind this, including deteriorating property conditions and a greater awareness of the issue following the death of Awaab Ishak, who was just two years old.
See how that compares to the rest of the UK with our interactive map:
This comes after Awaab died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to “extensive” mould in the one-bedroom flat he lived in with his family in Rochdale. His death led to the passing of Awaab’s Law as part of the Social Housing Act, requiring landlords to fix reported hazards in social housing in a “timely fashion”, or rehouse tenants in safe accommodation.
However, more than three years on from Awaab’s tragic death, the rising number of cases dealt with by the ombudsman suggest that little has changed. In one recent case, a Wimbledon resident with chronic asthma and her disabled child suffered significant distress and inconvenience after their landlord failed to address persistent damp and mould, or repair the heating and ventilation systems.
Their home had been affected by mould, particularly in the bathroom, for nearly two years. The heating system had not been in full working order for at least 16 months and the ventilation system not in full working order for nearly two years. Some windows were defective for 14 months.
The ombudsman ordered the landlord to pay the resident £6,620 in compensation and to appoint specialist contractors and surveyors to confirm any outstanding works and undertake them. In another instance, a Streatham resident who was receiving cancer treatment and their family lived with cracked walls for over four years, and with damp and mould in most rooms for two years.
Whilst there was evidence the landlord tried to fix the windows in the home, the ombudsman found there was little to suggest it did anything about the cracking or the damp and mould, and instead was focused on whether it would dispose of the building or not. The ombudsman ordered the landlord to pay £5,480 in compensation, and ordered it to meet with the resident to talk about its next steps and how it can best facilitate that for them.
Complaints relating to leaks, damp and mould come under the wider category of property condition, which is by far and away the most common cause of complaints escalated to the ombudsman. In London, 5,382 complaints made to the ombudsman in 2023 were about property condition, or 60 per cent of the total, and again that was up from 1,746 in 2020.
Complaints about social housing are only escalated to the Housing Ombudsman Service after a tenant has complained to the council or housing association and was not happy with the response. It means these figures only represent a small number of overall complaints, with housing providers recording 186,000 formal complaints across the UK since April 2023.
Many more residents are likely to have felt they had complained during that period, but their complaint was not officially registered. Housing data expert Housemark estimates that the true number of complaints made since April 2023 has actually exceeded one million, based on Tenant Satisfaction Measures data.
When escalating to the ombudsman, tenants can complain about both the original problem or bad service, and how their initial complaint was dealt with. Complaints handling was the second-most common cause of complaint dealt with by the ombudsman last year, with 1,742 cases in London – up from 702 in 2020.
Separate figures from the Housing Ombudsman Service reveal that failures or delays by social housing landlords have also been on the rise. In particular, findings of “severe maladministration” – excessive delays in taking action, or no consideration of tenants’ vulnerabilities – had more than quadrupled in the last year alone.
Continuing to find extensive and repeated failings
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “These figures tell a stark story about the condition of some of the homes in the social housing sector. We know that this is not the majority, but it is enough to give us cause for concern.
“We have an unprecedented focus on putting things right and have issued nearly 15,000 orders and recommendations this financial year alone. But unfortunately we are continuing to find extensive and repeated failings.
“Some landlords need to grip these issues because it is particularly those with vulnerabilities that are being failed. A lot of the time these vulnerabilities are being exposed because of the housing situation they find themselves in.
“There needs to be a fundamental rethink by government on the links between health and housing. We believe a Royal Commission on this vital topic is needed where politics cannot impede strong solutions for the housing crisis we are seeing every day in our casework.”
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