Landlord Review Unearths Hundreds of Incorrect Asbestos Records

OVER 800 entries of incorrect asbestos risk data were unearthed in a review by social landlord One Housing following an Ombudsman investigation.

The landlord found several properties were listed as ‘no risk’ where asbestos could be present because there was no data available. It also found some properties were marked as ‘high risk’ on the register where old data had not been removed.

One Housing said the inconsistencies in its data were “caused by multiple factors, including external services being brought in-house” and its knowledge and information management. This included new information being added without existing records being updated when moving to a new system.

Asbestos was historically used as insulation for buildings, boilers and pipes, roofing, and flooring tiles. Reports have found up to 1.5 million UK homes may still have asbestos, especially those built before the late 1980s.

If intact in a property, the risk is small. However, if asbestos is disturbed or damaged in some way, fibres may be released which can have several adverse health effects.

Incorrect Asbestos Records

The Ombudsman initially investigated One Housing after a tenant complained about a collapsed ceiling and leak in her home. Repairs took 14 months and the landlord did not have accurate and up-to-date records about the presence of asbestos in the property.

The landlord did not assess the condition of the asbestos and could not evidence that it considered temporarily moving the family.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, commented: “The ceiling collapse caused the resident considerable distress as she worried about her family’s safety given the potential asbestos risk. The landlord failed to recognise this or learn lessons about how it handled events.

“This was a significant missed opportunity as the wider review following our investigation reveals the problems with its records on asbestos were not isolated. This shows the power of learning even from just one complaint.

“This case is a reminder for landlords that when hazards and safety are present within a complaint, landlords should act quickly and inspect these thoroughly.”

One Housing merged with Riverside in April 2023 and since then Riverside says it has implemented their systems and processes in relation to asbestos management. It has also produced an operational guidance document and recruited for two administrative posts to maintain its asbestos databases and cleansing of records.

Important Improvements

In its learning statement, One Housing said: “We are very sorry for the distress caused to our customer following a leak and a collapsed ceiling and for the repair handling, asbestos record keeping, and complaint handling.

“In this case, we undertook a detailed investigation and a lessons learnt review. We revisited it six months later to make sure the key learning points were being implemented.

“Since the Ombudsman’s investigation we have introduced important improvements which included:

• Improving our asbestos record keeping and reviewing our asbestos safety management plan
• Increasing the capacity of our asbestos management team to review our records and cleanse and remove any incorrect historical data – this ensures our database is accurate and residents are not given incorrect information relating to their home
• Reviewing our current practice of placing sole responsibility on a customer to rebook an appointment
• Clearly explaining the process to our customers in relation to the purpose of our visits and what we will do and provide a timeline for the works
• Reviewing and made changes to our compensation policy.”

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