Our independent review in response to Ombudsman findings

We fully accept the findings of the Housing Ombudsman’s investigation and we are sorry some customers have not had the service they expect from us.

You can read the full report here.

What were the key findings?

How we manage latent defects in our buildings

One of the main areas for improvement identified in the report, was how we manage latent defects in our buildings. These are hidden flaws in the design, workmanship or materials used during construction that may not become apparent until years after completion.

The report highlights the need for better project management of cases, where latent defects issues had been identified. It also said we needed to improve our communication with customers, so they were clear about what actions were being taken and the next steps.

Following this review, we’ve made changes to the way we manage third party contractors and how we communicate our progress with you.

Our repairs service

The report also outlined the need to improve our approach to repairs. In October we implemented a repairs improvement plan to provide a better service for our customers. Some of the key features of this plan include:

• Creating SMS reminders for appointment confirmations

• Live tracking of operatives, so customers can see exactly where their repairs contractor is

• Setting up a new two-way messaging system for better communication

Read our latest update on the progress we’re making.

Leasehold Management

A key area that was raised in the report was the caseload of our property managers. We’ve changed the way we manage some of our complex and tall buildings which are 18 metres or over. This new approach means that these housing officers are now responsible for a smaller number of homes, which has reduced the number of Stage 1 Complaints being received.

Find out more about our Enhanced Housing Management Team pilot.

Customer information

We're working to make our data more accessible to our teams and ensure every contact we have with you is recorded on our system. We know that data has previously been an issue for some of our long-term complaints. We want to get to a place where customers only have to explain their story once. 

Our Complaints and Resolution Service

Since the beginning of the year, we have transformed our complaints handling process as we were aware that our processes were often the reason why complaints were escalated from Stage 1 to Stage 2.

Read our new report, which provides an overview of our complaints performance and service improvement over the past year. You can also see what actions we’ve taken to improve your experience when you raise a complaint with us.

Ian Wardle, A2Dominion’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We would like to offer our sincere apologies to the customers who were impacted in 2017 by the issues outlined in this report, and to offer reassurance that our number one priority is to vastly improve our services for them. 

“In this instance there were significant delays in our response in terms of repairs carried out, communications with our customers and in the way we escalated issues.  We have since complied with all the orders in this case. Full repair work has since been completed at this development and further investigation will take place to ensure that other customers have not been negatively impacted by the issues raised in this review. 

“We know that some of our services have not met the standards that we, or our customers expect. Many improvements are already underway as a result of our new corporate strategy, as we continue to work closely with the Housing Ombudsman. 

“Building on our existing improvement programmes within repairs and complaints, we have introduced a new approach to housing management, targeted at transforming customer experience in our tallest and most complex buildings. We know there are still issues we are working to address to improve our services for customers, and that’s why we are moving quickly to make wide-scale improvements.”

3 areas we're improving as quickly as we can

We have identified 3 other areas that we are improving as quickly as we can:

• Effective use of the repairs system

• Case management of planned and packaged works

• Contractor management.

Recommendations from the report include:

• Conducting a root and branch review of latent defect management to include colleagues from every team

• Setting standards for all repairs staff on resident communication

• Setting expectations across the organisation on record keeping

• Reporting measures to highlight cases raised against a household with an identified vulnerability or support need to allow for quality checking of cases

• Updating letter templates to encourage more empathetic language and a more compassionate approach to responses

• Establishing ownership of both Spotlight report self-assessments and accountability for the implementation of the findings, to ensure they are embedded within existing or planned programmes of work.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “This is a frank, forensic and far-reaching assessment by the landlord to identify the root causes for repeated service failings. It is a powerful report which should be read by other landlords of all sizes who may be facing similar challenges handling repairs and complaints.

“That its review was conducted by its own staff but independent of the services involved both demonstrates the strong ownership the landlord is taking to deliver service improvement but also increases the prospect that changes will improve the experience for residents.

“In particular the report focuses on some key areas where even modest changes can effect positive change. I strongly welcome the landlord’s identified focus on culture and behaviours as well as process and systems. This can be the missing piece of the jigsaw when learning from complaints and turning a new policy into effective practice.”