Clarion leaves boy in bedroom with boarded up window for 4 years causing asthma flare ups

A boy was left with a boarded up window in their room for four years by a housing association in Enfield, according to a report by the Housing Ombudsman. His family claim the resulting lack of poor ventilation also allowed mould to grow, causing him to suffer asthma flare-ups.

Clarion, the UK’s largest housing association, visited the home in Enfield twice to fix windows, with one being boarded up so it was unable to be opened. The resident raised concerns about this over a period spanning four years, but there was on record of this on Clarion’s system.

The report by the Housing Ombudsman says: “The landlord showed no urgency to fix the window, coming to inspect and take measurements 25 days after the later complaint. It was then a further four months before it attended an appointment to fix it and a further five months before the landlord undertook a follow up inspection.”

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As a result, the Ombudsman ordered Clarion to pay a sum of £1,700 in compensation, as well as for its CEO to provide a written apology. Clarion was also told to review its record keeping and information management practices for repairs.

Richard Blakeway from the Housing Ombudsman, said: “At the crux of this report are stretched resources. Repairing windows can be costly. This can lead to landlords deferring immediate repairs in favour of major works at a later date.

"But those future works can be volatile and uncertain, leaving residents living with faulty windows for several years. By focusing on the building rather than the individuals living within it, landlords risk overlooking their legal obligations.

“This approach is also normalising delays to key repairs and an increase in complaints about housing conditions. Ultimately, this requires a new and strengthened Decent Homes Standard, and it is welcome the government has committed to one.”

Clarion's apology to the family

A Clarion spokesperson said: “We apologise sincerely to the resident and their family in this case. The issue took too long to resolve, and our communication was not good enough. Since the case was first reported in 2017 we have made improvements that would now prevent this from happening.

“We now have better reporting capabilities that help us monitor and manage cases more effectively; Our Clarion Field Service system was launched in February 2023 in order to manage repairs operations and improve record keeping in the long-term. We are also in the process of making changes to the way we manage information.

"To do this we have conducted a self-assessment based on the Ombudsman’s Spotlight Report on Knowledge and Information Management, and are making changes as a result including establishing a new knowledge and information strategy. These changes, along with how we handle complaints, are a key focus of our internal transformation programme - which will support us to provide residents with a consistently good service.”

The Ombudsman has said they will be looking more into these issues in the coming months, as well as hosting a webinar specifically about window complaints.

Got a story? Email katherine.gray@reachplc.com

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