Largest UK housing association fined for failing to fix child’s bedroom window for four years

The UK’s largest housing association has been fined for failing to repair a child’s bedroom window for four years.

Clarion, who owns 125,000 homes in the UK, was fined by the Housing Ombudsman for “severe maladministration” over the case. The housing watchdog heard that the housing association had boarded up the window during a repair job, and did not follow up despite resident complaints.

This led to parts of the home developing mould due to lack of ventilation, causing issues with a resident’s asthma and his son’s mental health. A report says the resident raised concerns over those four years, but Clarion kept no record on file to show this. The ombudsman criticised the housing association for showing “no urgency” to fix the issue.

In a statement, Clarion 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 then, we have made improvements that would now prevent this from happening.”

The housing association was ordered to pay £1,700 in compensation, alongside a written apology.

The case was shared by the watchdog as part of a monthly report into cases of severe maladministration, focusing on issues with window repairs. The Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway in his report that around 4,000 children (aged 15 years or younger), are injured following an incident with a window every year.

Mr Blakeway also notes in his report that the cases show many landlords are “not ready” for Awaab’s Law, which makes major changes to the law on damp and mould.

The law is named after Awaab Ishak, a toddler who died in 2020 due to the presence of black mould in the flat he was living in. Brought into statue in 2023, the new rules put a legal obligation on social landlords to investigate hazards (not just mould-related) within 14 calendar days.

The new Renters’ Rights Bill – introduced by Labour at the King’s Speech in July – will also extend the law to private landlords.

The Housing Ombudsman also named Camden and Tower Hamlets councils in its report. It found that Tower Hamlets had delayed repairs to one resident’s window for 134 weeks, leading to her son being unable to sleep in his bedroom and the entire property becoming cold.

The watchdog says there was “no evidence” that the council had assessed the detriment to the family, or assessed their vulnerability. They were ordered to pay £3,810 in compensation and apologise in person.

A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets councils said: “We fully accept the report and its findings, and we apologise to the resident for the upset caused by delays to repairs in her home and poor communication.”

“This was during the pandemic which was an extremely challenging period. Our team are working hard to improve and are already acting on the report’s recommendations.”

Responding to the report, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “These findings are completely shocking and show tenants are being let down and ignored, forcing them to live in unsafe conditions for years.

“All landlords have a legal and moral duty to make sure their homes are safe. The Government will go further and bring in Awaab’s Law, to protect families, strengthening their voice and force landlords to fix dangerous homes as quickly as possible.”