Rent and Service Charges

Ombudsman Attitudes, Respect and Rights Report

In late Jan 2024 the Housing Ombudsman released its report called “Attitudes, Respect and Rights, Relationship of Equals.” I was again very impressed in what it had created and how it came up with its primary recommendation for a new Royal Commission to reestablish the link between health and housing.

The report begins with Mr Blakeway’s (Housing Ombudsman himself) own summary and comments. At the beginning he gives an example in which a vulnerable person needed support in that her first landlord had mishandled her safeguarding report. He further mentions the 3Rs which landlords should consider – recognise, respond and record vulnerabilities, standards required in the sector also coinciding the Equality, Human Rights and Care Acts and without progress not just to the detriment of residents but also this having an impact on talented staff, recruitment and retention.

The next part of the report gives an overview in how in 1884 a Royal Commission on housing was commissioned. It helped inspire landlords being responsible for the health of their tenants. I never knew that Liverpool was the first city to recognise the link between poor housing and public health.

It then talks about how social housing evolved in the first half of the 20th century and rightly mentions the cases of Awaab Ishak and the Grenfell Tower whereby ‘othering’, ignoring and not listening to tenants concerns had taken place.

As I read on it then touches on some lack of investment by governments in the past and outlines vulnerabilities in various instances. The Ombudsman specifically defines vulnerability as follows:

“A dynamic state which arises from a combination of a resident’s personal circumstances, characteristics and their complaint; vulnerability may be exacerbated when a social landlord or the Housing Ombudsman service does not act with appropriate levels of care when dealing with a resident’s complaint… if effective reasonable adjustments have been put in place, the vulnerability may be reduced.”

It finishes in how landlords should incorporate the guidance by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. But not just limited to this as there should be a move for landlords to extend beyond these whereby there needs to be a ‘human-centric’ model of service provision.

With the above in mind and as I read on reviewing the case studies and analysis, it reminded me of a trip I made in May 23 to Switzerland. I had visited Zurich and Geneva. Specifically with Geneva I got to see the outside and the area where the United Nations building is located.

I also went inside the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum. I toured the various exhibitions with the theme being known as “the humanitarian adventure.” I saw how 12 witnesses who are scenographic describe their stories in what they went through, you see them all together at the beginning and then come across each person at different points whilst seeing other exhibitions.

The aim was to remind visitors that human relations are at the heart of all humanitarian action.

The Housing Ombudsman case studies as well as the decisions within its archive are to me like a museum. As similar to the 12 witnesses in the Red Cross Museum, the resident customers are all witnesses themselves as with each case the Ombudsman summarises why maladministration had occurred.

I was concerned with 36% of 192 cases of bias, prejudice or discrimination was recorded as a key issue. The Ombudsman kindly provided me through a FOI request of the 36% of cases which were available. I read through every single one which enabled me to reflect on why attitudes, respect and rights clearly matter.

Towards the end of the Ombudsman’s report it states of the link between housing, health and human rights needing urgent repair. I agree entirely how a social landlord should be viewed by government as one of the closest and most immediate influential services in a person’s life, significant in its influence to intervene in enhancing a person’s health and wellbeing and working not in a silo but in a multi-agency context.

I am glad the report recognises that the relationship between housing and health is deep-seated. In human rights terms, “everyone must be treated with dignity and respect.”

The work and “museum” of the Ombudsman service has given me motivation to visit the gym a lot more often than before.