Camden Council has ‘defensive complaints culture’, says Ombudsman

The London Borough of Camden has a “defensive complaints culture” regarding landlord services, revealed a recent report by the Housing Ombudsman.

An investigation prompted by a series of severe maladministration findings revealed that the council repeatedly failed to adequately respond to tenant complaints between 2023 and 2024.

The Ombudsman investigated 57 individual complaints encompassing 124 findings of maladministration, representing a maladministration rate of 83%, where the council was “dismissive” to complaints , obligations and policies were not fulfilled and vulnerable residents were neglected.

In one case, a resident with arthritis who relies on a service dog was denied a temporary move when a lift in the property was broken for 686 days out of the 1,051 he had lived there.

He then moved himself to a wooden shack without heating or hot water, but the landlord has since found long-term, permanent accommodation for the tenant.

In another case, a leasholder waited 2,337 days for a response to their complaint about renovation works.

Most of the complaints were about property condition, where poor communication with residents, unsuccessful and stalled repair attempts, and record-keeping inaccuracies failed to address damp, leaks and pest infestations in the council’s buildings.

In 80% of the complaints relating to property condition, the repairs were outstanding after the landlord’s final response and 100% of findings have been upheld since April 2024 to September 2024.

Meanwhile, the landlord failed to provide reasonable adjustments for vulnerable residents, meaning a deaf resident’s request for an in-person British Sign Language interpreter was delayed for four months.

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A spokesperson for Camden Council said: “As a council we have experienced many years of under-investment from government and there is a critical shortage of affordable housing.

“We are pleased that report acknowledges our commitment to the long-term improvement of housing and repairs services through our established Transformation Programme.

“The Ombudsman has also acknowledged our engagement with them and our proactive work to make key improvements throughout the investigation, and we will continue to work with them as we make further progress.”

He added that the cases covered in the report are generally from 2022 or earlier and the local authority has changed and improved many aspects of its services. The local authority added  is reviewing its processes and culture around complaints, has set up a housing and property residents panel and a complaints and oversight Panel, and has completed “a programme of intensive resident engagement.”