The Housing Ombudsman has published three severe maladministration findings for Johnnie Johnson Housing (JJH), due to significant failings in responding to a resident’s complaint about anti-social behaviour (ASB), together with its record keeping and complaint handling.
The Ombudsman’s investigation found:
- severe maladministration in JJH’s response to the resident’s reports of ASB
- severe maladministration in the landlord’s record keeping and
- severe maladministration in its complaint handling.
The Ombudsman ordered JJH to:
- apologise to the resident for the failings
- pay total compensation to the resident of £1,800
- review its complaint policy and any associated staff guidance
- demonstrate learning from the outcome of the complaint
- review its data retention guidance on ASB and harassment case records and complaint case records and
- deliver training to staff on any new version of the guidance.
Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway said: “In this case there were significant gaps in evidence which meant we were unable to get a full understanding of the history and handling of the case. Clear record keeping and management is essential where reports of anti-social behaviour are made, and investigations into allegations are undertaken. These records form evidence that the landlord can review and use in managing the case. Accurate and complete records also help the landlord when handling a case through its complaints procedure and also provide evidence for other processes, such as our investigations. The absence of appropriate records, and therefore evidence, presents a significant risk that the processes cannot be fully used and residents are disadvantaged”.