SHAC has heard many accounts of victimising by landlords when things go wrong. Typically, this arises when tenants and residents report leaks, damp and mould in their homes and are told that their own ‘lifestyle choices’ lie at fault, and that action may be taken against them for failing to properly maintain their homes.
On alerting their landlords to such problems, tenants and residents are told that they need to open windows, hang their washing outside, and ventilate the property properly. Structural problems such as poorly built and aging housing still appear to be the last line of investigation for landlords, despite a heightened media spotlight on damp and mouldy homes.
The second group likely to be victimised are those at the sharp end of antisocial behaviour (ASB), and particularly if they are disabled. Landlords seem especially reluctant to accept that a tenant or resident has done nothing to trigger the ASB. By blaming both parties, landlords effectively give themselves licence to act against the victim as well as – or sometimes instead of – the real perpetrator.
Clarion’s New Low
Now however one of the largest landlords in the UK, Clarion Housing Group, appears to have gone a step further down the victim-blaming and intimidation path. Those who complain of service failures are being automatically placed on a ‘Risk to Staff’ register, according to evidence shared with SHAC.
SHAC considers this an abuse of process. Being on such a register restricts the ability of the tenant or resident to interract with the landlord. Such registers should therefore only apply where there has been an incident in which a tenant or resident has behaved inappropriately towards a staff member, in which case it is entirely legitimate for their employer to protect the worker from further harm.
The Clarion letters however seen by SHAC make no allegations of wrongdoing by the recipient. Instead, they state that the reason they are being ‘registered’ is that they made a complaint about a service failure.
The Letter
One such letter states:
“I am writing to inform you that we have added a risk alert to your computerised records and included your name on our Risk to Staff Register, in line with our policy. The fact that you are on the Risk to Staff Register may also be shared with our maintenance contractors or other partners.
“We acknowledge there have been no recent incidents of concern. However, due to an ongoing legal process, visits will be conducted in pairs to ensure clarity and fairness for everyone. This ensures transparency and mutual understanding in all interactions. You are welcome to have a representative present during any visits.
“We will review the potential risk after 12 months to decide whether it is still appropriate to keep the alert on your record and your name on the register or to remove your entry.”
The promise to allow a representative to be present with the occupier whenever a contractor is visiting the property is disingenuous since the visits are often done without any prior notification.
SHAC’s Complaint to Clarion
SHAC has now written to Clare Miller, Clarion chief executive, challenging the legitimacy of the letters, its abuse of the Risk Register, and the automatic tagging of tenants and residents in this way without any grounds for doing so. SHAC’s email to Clare said:
“I write on behalf of members who have contacted SHAC to say that as soon as they submit a complaint to Clarion, they are automatically added to a ‘Risk to Staff’ register.
“This is being done even where there have been no allegations that the tenant or resident has used inappropriate language, threats, or in any other way harassed the Clarion staff that they are communicating with.
“I am attaching one such letter which confirms that our member is now on the ‘Risk to Staff’ register even though there have been no incidents.
“It is the view of our members that this is an intimidatory tactic aimed at deterring Clarion tenants and residents for highlighting problems. We also believe that it is an abuse of process, and an abuse of their rights under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679.
“It is only Clarion Housing Group that feels the need to systematically resort to intimidation when tenants and residents submit a complaint about a service failure. We are not aware of any other landlords using this approach.
“We are now calling on Clarion to cease issuing such letters without genuine grounds for doing so. Please respond by close of play on Friday 28th February. I look forward to hearing from you.”
Clarion Tenants’ and Residents’ Dissatisfaction
It is clear that Clarion regards complaints from tenants and residents as a war that has to be won through intimidation rather than addressing the presenting issues. It is no surprise therefore that Clarion has abysmall scores on its Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) that the Regulator of Social Housing requires landlords to report.
SHAC’s research into TSM ratings across the 21 largest housing associations identified that Clarion scored the lowest in relation to satisfaction with complaints handling, achieving a satisfaction rate of just 20.3% compared to, for example, 85.2% for Orbit Group. For shared owners, complaints handling satisfaction drops even further to 15.9%. This is a shocking indictment of Clarion’s governance.
Clarion Housing Group Tenant Satisfaction Measures
Clarion only scores just 20.3% satisfaction rates amongst social renters, and 15.9% on the same measure amongst shared owners.
It is not only the Regulator that has been aware of Clarion’s failings when it comes to complaint handling. Michael Gove as Secretary of State for Housing took the highly unusual step of writing to the landlord in February 2024, highlighting three cases in particular where Clarion had failed to address complaints about disrepairs over a long period.
The Housing Ombudsman Service has included Clarion in a report highlighting their failure to properly handle complaints. And the problems are historic. The Ombudsman has found Clarion guilty of severe maladministration more than once, and specifically on its complaints handling. SHAC’s complaint to Clarion has therefore been shared with the Housing Ombudsman which has a role in regulating complaint handling across the housing association sector.
Taking Action
As a result of SHAC’s intervention, Clarion’s Richard Pettifar, Director of Customer Services has now opened an investigation into the matter. We will post updates when we receive an outcome. We will continue engaging with Clarion tenants and residents on this issue until a satisfactory outcome has been achieved.
If you are a tenant or resident of Clarion Housing and would like to get involved with SHAC’s campaigns, please join us free here.
19 February 2025
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