Tenant's Persistent Antisocial Actions Led to Home Departure, Determines Ombudsman
In a recent report, the Housing Ombudsman has criticised housing association Peabody for its handling of a long-standing anti-social behaviour case. The Ombudsman found that Peabody's management of the case lacked professionalism and failed to follow its own policies.
The resident, who had been dealing with anti-social behaviour for over 20 years, felt that the landlord did not thoroughly investigate and support her, potentially leading her to believe that terminating her tenancy was her only solution. The Ombudsman's report, while related only to the period when the resident formally complained, followed an investigation into Catalyst's merger with Peabody.
One of the key issues raised was Peabody's failure to assess the resident's vulnerability, despite having policies in place for vulnerable persons. The resident lost her husband during the case, which further compounded her feelings. The landlord did not reassign the resident's case to another officer while its officer was on long-term sick leave, leaving the resident's ongoing reports of nuisance unanswered for months.
The Ombudsman also found that Peabody did not monitor or review the action plan as promised when more reports were made. Moreover, the landlord did not explore all options available to it during the management of the case. It did not watch the resident's footage of the anti-social behaviour when it was sent, nor did it consider the information that the resident had rented another property.
In response to the case, Peabody has introduced specialist community safety teams and a dedicated complaints team. The Ombudsman ordered Peabody's chief executive to apologise to the resident personally, pay £2,000 in compensation, and review how it manages anti-social behaviour. The Ombudsman also ordered Peabody to review its overall approach to managing anti-social behaviour due to its failings in this case.
The Ombudsman's recent Spotlight report into Knowledge and Information Management includes recommendations to support landlords in managing vulnerability. The report emphasises the importance of landlords considering guidance in supporting victims and witnesses as outlined in the Anti-Social Behavior, Crime and Policing Act 2014, and as described in their own policies and procedures.
Jim Grech currently serves as the CEO of Peabody Energy. This case serves as a reminder for all landlords to prioritise the well-being of their residents and to adhere to their own policies and the relevant legislation to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.
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