Verity Healthcare

Report highlights “important failings” concerning landlords dealing with residents’ adaptation requests – AT Immediately


The Housing Ombudsman has launched its newest ‘Studying from extreme maladministration’ report, specializing in residence diversifications and landlords’ response to psychological and bodily well being wants.

With the necessary position that social housing has to play in giving protected and safe housing to tens of millions, the learnings in these stories are designed to assist landlords present efficient companies that shield this aspiration.

The report relies on 35 investigations the place residents have requested for an adaptation to the house or service adjustment. Variations embody the set up of assistive applied sciences, comparable to seize rails, door ramps, and stairlifts, to assist folks dwell independently at residence.

The report examines how landlords have managed housing diversifications, together with liaising with Occupational Well being, communication with residents, and making cheap changes below the Equality Act.

In a single case, a landlord failed to put in diversifications 27 months after it was advised there was pressing want for them as a result of a baby was going by means of chemotherapy. In different circumstances, a resident was largely confined to at least one room due to hassle accessing rooms of their wheelchair for eight years, and one other landlord didn’t present satisfactory evacuation plans for a disabled resident in case of a hearth.

There are additionally circumstances of residents not being communicated with successfully, together with an autistic resident who skilled important misery when the owner didn’t make cheap changes when speaking along with her.

Landlords highlighted within the Housing Ombudsman’s latest report are Bristol Metropolis Council, Clarion, Kingston upon Thames Council, Lambeth Council, Longhurst Group, L&Q, Rooftop Housing Group, Somerset Council, Southern Housing, Southwark Council, Sovereign Community Group, and VIVID.

Richard Blakeway, from the Housing Ombudsman, stated: “For many years landlords have helped tens of millions of people that could in any other case have skilled poorer housing situations.

“However this achievement shouldn’t obscure the numerous failings recognized on this report and the looking questions it presents to landlords about dealing with requests from residents with disabilities, diversifications and psychological well being wants.

“Callous and uncaring methods and processes are repeatedly uncovered by means of these investigations.

“Again and again, these circumstances reveal communication that’s unreliable, inconsistent and unsophisticated for the complexity of the circumstances. Some circumstances could point out cultural points, with communication adopting a tone and method that’s each dismissive and disrespectful of residents. That is one other facet of the stigma that may exist in direction of social tenants.

“This extends not solely to a number of the circumstances summarised on this report but additionally these we’ve supplied hyperlinks to as additional studying: together with poor communication with a terminally sick resident who was caring for her disabled kids and a disabled resident sleeping on their couch for 18 months.

“The report shares priceless classes on responding to requests for diversifications and bettering communication. We hope this helps landlords to study from complaints alongside the perception being supplied by means of our Centre for Studying to foster fairer, higher companies.”

Importantly, the Housing Ombudsman underlines some key learnings relating to occupational therapists’ involvement in residence diversifications and in addition diversifications being carried out.

The Ombudsman says that occupational therapists (OTs) are sometimes concerned when putting in aids and diversifications in a resident’s residence.

Landlords ought to overview whether or not an OT is required to go to a house based mostly on both a request from a resident or data about their particular person circumstances. The report states that good apply is to do that early to grasp what could also be required to make the house appropriate. Particular consideration needs to be given the place the owner is conscious at level of letting family circumstances that make this related, and landlords also needs to contemplate any mitigations wanted if there are delays to an evaluation.

It’s good apply and applicable for the OT to attend the property viewing and contribute their skilled opinion, the report notes. As soon as the evaluation is full and the owner is in receipt of the report, it ought to full a feasibility survey and benchmark this towards any related insurance policies. The end result of this needs to be communicated with the resident, emphasises the Ombudsman.

It might be that the diversifications aren’t doable for structural causes because of the dimensions and format of the property or could also be value prohibitive. Nonetheless, landlords have a duty to evaluate the feasibility of the adaptions and make knowledgeable selections whether or not or to not proceed with them.

It’s also important that residents are afforded respect by selections being communicated in a well timed manner, clear explanations given, and expectations managed appropriately, the report notes.

Within the occasion {that a} feasibility evaluation concludes that almost all of the diversifications aren’t doable, landlords ought to proceed working with the resident and the OT to discover a appropriate different property.

If there are disagreements about what’s holding up work, landlords ought to interact with the resident’s native companions in a proactive method to discover a decision, the Ombudsman recommends.

Taking a look at diversifications being carried out, the report says that landlords ought to have an efficient diversifications coverage in place that enables each its employees and residents to grasp the expectations surrounding this difficulty.

Any coverage ought to at the least take into consideration the extent of the work required, availability of other lodging, size of the time the difference could be wanted, if there are different methods to satisfy the wants of the resident, if a brief transfer (or decant) could also be required, and what the process is for rejecting an adaptation whether or not on the grounds of feasibility or practicality.

This all helps to handle the expectations of a resident and also will assist with timescales for implementation, the Ombudsman states. Landlords ought to ensure that, all through the method, residents and any key third events are saved updated to cut back frustration or miscommunication.

This extends to operatives and different teams, comparable to exterior architects or surveyors, that could be concerned within the course of. These visits needs to be factored into plans and never delay the schedule of works.

Landlords contemplating non permanent strikes ought to take a look at the Ombudsman’s extreme maladministration report on this matter for extra studying round dealing with these successfully and sensitively.

If the diversifications are unable to be accomplished, it’s a landlord’s duty to resolve and inform the resident of this in a well timed method. The resident would then have the data to make knowledgeable decisions about their future, the Ombudsman provides.


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