HOS to use paragraph 11 to inspect Lambeth Council’s complaint handling

Article summary

The Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) has reported that it will be undertaking an inspection of Lambeth Council’s complaint handling procedure, following a concerning number of cases being rereferred to the service. The HOS will be using paragraph 11 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, for the first time, in order to scrutinise evidence of complaints handling through an inspection of the landlord, which will include an in-person inspection of evidence and an evaluation of compliance with recent orders and recommendations as well as previous decisions relating to service improvements. Examples of poor complaint handling from the landlord includes not following policies, failing to fully investigate the issues or offering appropriate remedies, resulting in residents from previously settled cases having to contact the Ombudsman again. The HOS has confirmed that it will also be holding an open meeting with residents of Lambeth Council in September 2023, in order to hear about other issues from the landlord.