The different complaints handling systems within the social housing sector is complex, confusing, under-resourced and, in many places, ineffective and inconsistent, according to a new report from the Victorian Ombudsman.
Tabling her report Investigation into complaint handling in the Victorian social housing sector, Ombudsman Deborah Glass said social housing included public housing and community housing.
Ms Glass said public housing was operated by Homes Victoria, an entity of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, which also has stewardship of social housing – operated by not-for-profit organisations.
She said complaints about public and community housing had increased over the past five years, and of these, poor complaint handling was the most common issue raised.
“Regularly and repeatedly renters in public housing reported a broken complaint system,” Ms Glass said.
“They spoke of experiencing delays and an apparent unwillingness to fix the problem,” she said.
“Sometimes, they reached the point where they felt their health and safety were at risk.”
Ms Glass said her investigation confirmed that this had been a longstanding problem which required urgent reform.
She said many renters and advocates told her Office that the complaint mechanisms available to community housing renters were inferior compared to those in public housing.
“We found the different systems to be complex, confusing, under-resourced, and in many places, ineffective and inconsistent,” the Ombudsman said.
“While there is dissatisfaction in public housing, renters appear to be more confident that their complaint will eventually be dealt with,” she said.
“Whereas the landscape for community housing renters is a ‘patchwork’ where experiences vary greatly depending on individual housing providers.”
Ms Glass proposed a single two-tiered system for all social housing complaints, based on the principle of ‘local resolution, central escalation’.
She said that in Tier 1, the focus on frontline housing staff resolving complaints locally would continue however, these staff would be better resourced, supported and trained.
Ms Glass said Tier 2 would be a single external escalation point for all unresolved housing grievances to a new Social Housing Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman’s 105-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
