The Housing Ombudsman has identified four areas of communication that could have been improved in recent cases to help landlords prepare for Awaab’s Law.

The new legislation requires social housing landlords to quickly address health hazards in homes.

The industry regulator’s latest  ‘learning from severe maladministration’ report has identified four key ingredients for effective communication which were absent in the cases examined.

These were being timely, transparent, tailored and tone.

Poor communication compounded what were already serious failings in responding to complaints about damp and mould among social landlords. 

In one case, a landlord failed to act despite over 10 contacts from a resident and then prolonged the complaints process by 19 months. In another case, a resident for whom English is not her first language was left in damp and mould for four years with ongoing issues due to the language barrier, including the landlord not taking into account her health needs.   

In a third case a resident struggled to get the landlord to respond to her complaints, with the landlord’s communication lacking empathy and internally referring to “this person” and bemoaning the number of requests for action. 

The communication failings were present in both the service areas as well as complaints handling, and include poor internal communication and engagement with contractors and managing agents. 

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “I have witnessed the raw emotions of residents who have experienced poor communication. Poor communication is the most common concern I have heard expressed by residents at public events. 

“What can appear to be technical failings make residents feel unheard, dismissed and stigmatised. 

“Communication reflects the landlord’s culture and values. We know some landlords communicate well and most people working in social housing are committed and compassionate, but we also know communication failings can create a perception of the landlord being uncaring. Getting communication right will avoid inadvertently stigmatising residents and rebuild trust.   

“With Awaab’s Law six months away, confident communication will be essential. Central to effective communication under Awaab’s Law is the anticipated written statement. This is an additional step compared to what many landlords presently do. We’re yet to see the final specifics, but last year’s consultation outlined a minimum standard and the 6 specifics proposed by the government were sensible.   

“But landlords also need to think about their communication either side of the written statement. 

“At its heart, poor communications during the complaints process can compound failings by a service area.  Instead of providing an opportunity to regain the confidence of the resident that the landlord is listening and what it is doing to put things right, it can further undermine trust between resident and landlord.   

“Given most residents will remain with the landlord, that is unsustainable, which is why I would urge complaints teams and the Member Responsible for Complaints to focus on what we see as the four Ts of good communication by their organisation.”