Housing Ombudsman finds against Catalyst after disabled resident left in mouldy home

The Housing Ombudsman has made two findings of severe maladministration against housing association Catalyst Housing for failing to fix damp and mould repairs issues as well as a damaged driveway, causing significant distress to a disabled resident and her son.

The investigation also found that the landlord did not do enough in line with Equality Act 2010 to eliminate discrimination. The issues facing the residents went on for 19 months.

On the issue of damp and mould, it took the landlord six months after the first reporting of the issue for it to even inspect the property. This was only when the formal complaint was raised by the resident.

The Ombudsman said there was also a worrying lack of record keeping, with little to be found on what the inspection uncovered and evidence that the landlord did not appreciate or investigate the whole issue. It recommended extractor fans be installed instead of works to guttering or the roof where there was a water leak reported.

The resident complained fortnightly about the issues but records suggest little action from the landlord was taken, leaving her and her child living in a mouldy home.

There was no evidence on the damaged driveway that the landlord had done anything about the repair, simply stating in its final response that it would ‘see what it could do’.

This was despite the resident having mobility issues and advising that she needed to use a wheelchair. In its last correspondence to the Ombudsman, the driveway was still not fixed, over a year after first being reported.

It also appeared the landlord had not carefully considered its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 to eliminate discrimination and ensure that the resident was not subjected to a substantial disadvantage in being able to access her home.

The Ombudsman ordered the landlord to pay the resident £3,500 in compensation and arrange a full inspection of the property and building and complete any outstanding works.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: ‘Throughout this case, there is evidence of the landlord not taking the resident’s concerns seriously enough and not acting with the urgency required.

‘The length of time that the resident and her son have had to deal with the issues, and the number of times they have had to raise it with the landlord, is unacceptable.

‘The landlord had the opportunity to rectify these issues during the complaints process but failed to do so.

‘The resident clearly had additional needs and it is concerning that the landlord had not demonstrated that it had considered its obligations under the Equality Act.

‘The recent investigation into the landlord prior to its merger has set out important recommendations for service improvement, which the merged landlord is addressing.

‘I also welcome the landlord’s response on its learning from this case and the changes being made to improve its service. I would encourage other landlords to consider the learning the case offers for their own services.’

The Ombudsman also found maladministration for the landlord’s complaint handling in this case after it failed to provide responses in line with the Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.

In its learning from the case, the landlord said it had reviewed and tightened procedures and increased resources to ensure it is better at repairs, complaints handling and communicating with residents.

Image: boris misevic