The Housing Ombudsman will release its first Good Practice guidance later this year, focusing on relationship management between landlords and their residents.
The topic received strong support during the Ombudsman’s consultation last year, and feedback has now been published.
The consultation gathered 163 responses from landlords, residents, and other key stakeholders.
The guidance will address both maintaining effective relationships and restoring those that have broken down.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry highlighted the negative impacts of poor relationships, which often result in distrust and hostility.
Good Practice, a power established by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, was produced to provide examples of where landlords have succeeded.
This guidance seeks to help landlords resolve issues and reduce complaints from residents.
A self-assessment against the guidance should aid landlords in creating improvement plans, encouraging them to learn from complaints.
The Ombudsman’s Centre for Learning will work with landlords to effectively engage with Good Practice, incorporating insights from the resident panel to ensure that future guidance is grounded in real experiences.
Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway said: “Good practice will be a valuable tool for landlords to test approaches and improve using the insights of complaints.
“As with all learning from complaints, the right culture and behaviours will produce the greatest benefits rather than a tick-box exercise.”
Blakeway added: “Our first topic will further explore areas in last year’s Spotlight report on attitudes, respects, and rights, encouraging landlords to refocus their attention on embracing every contact with a resident as an opportunity to get to know their customers, understand their needs and build relationships.
“This guidance will share the good we see in our casework which can sometimes be overshadowed by examples of where things have gone wrong.
He said: “We will highlight approaches where landlords have delivered person-centred services rather than follow ‘copy and paste’ policies, which can often fail in the current and complex operating environment.”
“We would like to thank the landlords and residents who took their time to respond to the consultation this year and look forward to continuing the collaboration as we roll out Good Practice during this year.”
Dave Seed, managing director of Qube Residential, said: “The release of the Housing Ombudsman’s first Good Practice guidance on relationship management between landlords and residents is both timely and essential.
“The focus on building meaningful connections between these parties and viewing every resident interaction as an opportunity for understanding and relationship building, landlords can create a foundation for trust that is sorely lacking.
Seed added: “The Grenfell Inquiry revealed accounts of interactions plagued by ‘distrust, dislike, personal antagonism, and anger,’ highlighting a profound communication breakdown that left residents feeling unheard and devalued.
“Addressing this divide is crucial. I hope by focusing on positive examples of resident engagement and complaint handling, landlords and tenants can take meaningful steps towards preventing detachment and moving away from a negative ‘us vs. them’ dynamic.
He said: “The Housing Ombudsman’s guidance promises to be a vital tool for landlords to improve using the insights of complaints, with practical lessons that reduce the need for residents to refer their case to the Ombudsman.
“This provides an opportunity to rebuild trust in the sector.
“However, the success of this initiative will hinge on its adoption and the genuine commitment of landlords to change their attitudes toward residents, creating a positive culture for residents to raise concerns and have access to an impartial service to resolve any disputes.
He added: “At Qube Residential, our mission is to deliver an exceptional service for both landlords and tenants, and so I warmly welcome the Good Practice guidance, particularly because it is not a top-down policy by the government.
“Instead, it has been informed by those directly involved in managing landlord-tenant relationships every day.”
