Landlords encouraged to learn from positive examples of resident engagement and complaint handling
The Housing Ombudsman will release its first good practice guidance later this year, with the pilot issue focusing on relationship management between landlords and residents.
The guidance will be developed through consultation with residents, landlords and stakeholders to “restore relationships that have broken down.” The ombudsman was handed powers to issue good practice guidance in the Social Housing (Regulation) Act.
The decision to focus on tenant-landlord relationships comes after the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report last year highlighted issues with “relations increasingly characterised by distrust, dislike, personal antagonism and anger… The result was a toxic atmosphere fuelled by mistrust on both sides.”
The good practice guidance will provide examples of where landlords have “got things right” to establish a framework for problem solving and complaint management. It also seeks to reduce tenant complaints and referrals to the Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman’s CPD portal called Centre for Learning aims to help landlords engage with the advice, including insight from the Ombudsman’s resident panel.
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Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman said: “Our first topic will further explore areas in last year’s Spotlight report on attitudes, respects, and rights, encouraging landlords to refocus their attention on embracing every contact with a resident as an opportunity to get to know their customers, understand their needs and build relationships.
“This guidance will share the good we see in our casework which can sometimes be overshadowed by examples of where things have gone wrong. We will highlight approaches where landlords have delivered person-centered services rather than follow ‘copy and paste’ policies, which can often fail in the current and complex operating environment.”
Last year’s consultation on the proposed approach to good practice received 163 responses.
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