Ombudsman highlights failings at council after it made resident homeless

“Months later, without contacting him to check, the landlord changed the locks, cancelled his housing benefit and disposed of his possessions,” the ombudsman added.

The resident then spent a year in temporary accommodation and only received compensation after the ombudsman’s investigation.

It found that Bristol City Council failed to contact the resident before ending his tenancy or disposing of his belongings, to consider his known vulnerabilities, to respond to his attempts to make contact or to keep adequate records.

The ombudsman also said the landlord failed to “offer a meaningful apology” or refer the resident to support services, and did not “explore the issues he raised about his mental health and reasons for wanting to leave his home”.

Following the independent review, Bristol City Council has arranged training for all its housing officers around communication and tenancy processes, and committed to considering resident vulnerabilities in all tenancy-related actions.

Richard Blakeway, the housing ombudsman, said the case “shows why landlords must see the person behind the complaint and ask questions when residents say something has gone wrong”.

He said Bristol City Council’s “heavy-handed approach” led to the resident losing his home and belongings, and that this “could have been avoided”.

Mr Blakeway continued: “The landlord also failed to recognise the impact on [the resident] when it responded to the complaint or issue an apology.

“Our latest learning from severe maladministration report highlights the importance of effective and meaningful apologies.

“This case is not isolated to this landlord. I have seen several cases where residents’ belongings have been disposed.

“This has included irreplaceable personal items and... ashes of loved ones being removed. We would encourage all landlords to consult these findings as it may offer practical lessons for the way they operate.” 

In its learning statement, Bristol City Council said: “We recognise that our handling of the resident’s notice to quit, our failure to take appropriate steps to understand his circumstances and the subsequent disposal of his belongings fell far short of the standards we expect of ourselves and those rightly expected by our residents.

“We apologise unreservedly for the distress caused and are committed to learning from this case.

“We have already completed a comprehensive review of our procedures, including how we record and respond to resident contact and how we manage tenancy terminations and personal possessions left in properties.”