The Housing Ombudsman has published another severe maladministration finding for Clarion, due to its failings in response to blocked drains in a new build property, which left residents living in unsanitary conditions and without a working downstairs toilet for considerable periods. The case follows the Ombudsman’s special report in October last year, which made several recommendations for the landlord to address repeated areas of service failure.
The Ombudsman’s investigation found severe maladministration in Clarion’s handling of the repairs.
Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway said: “The special report published emphasised the importance of culture and leadership around complaints to drive improvement. This must be central to embedding change. Regardless of the number of homes a landlord has, it must recognise that they’ve thought about how to rectify issues for residents. In the scale of its operations, it is important the landlord does not lose sight of the individual impact of cases and the people behind those complaints. Nor should this scale be leveraged to diminish the impact of mistakes that, without the intervention of the Ombudsman, would have left the resident without appropriate redress”.