More than 800 records of incorrect data on an asbestos register. A risk scoring system that showed several properties as no-risk where there was no data and there could in fact be asbestos present. These are the information management issues uncovered by former social housing landlord, One Housing, following an investigation by the Housing Ombudsman.
The investigation arose following a leak and collapsed ceiling in a One Housing resident’s home in March 2022. Repairs took 14 months and the landlord did not have accurate and up-to-date records about the presence of asbestos in the property, according to the Ombudsman. The landlord did not assess the condition of the asbestos and could not evidence that it considered temporarily moving the family.
The Ombudsman made a series of orders to the landlord following a severe maladministration finding. One Housing’s subsequent review (conducted in 2024) revealed the 800-plus records of incorrect data on its asbestos register and the errors in its risk-scoring system and information management.
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The Ombudsman’s press statement noted: “The review found the inconsistencies in its data had been 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.
“The landlord has now made improvements to its asbestos record-keeping and services, including a review of its asbestos safety management plan. It has also produced an operational guidance document and recruited for two administrative posts to maintain its asbestos databases and cleansing of records.”
Structured information management essential
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, added: “[This] underscores the importance of knowledge and information management, which is so often the foundation to an effective service or complaint response. Our Centre for Learning has resources on how to tackle some of the key issues raised in this wider order, as well as training and workshops to equip social housing landlords with the tools they need to improve.”
A spokesperson for BIM for Housing Associations (BIM4HAs) said: “Poor information management can have serious consequences: delaying safety interventions and exposing residents to unnecessary risks. This case demonstrates why maintaining reliable, up-to-date information is not just best practice, but an essential requirement for ensuring safe homes, enhancing transparency and building greater trust with residents.
“BIM4HAs firmly believes that structured information management is essential to address the key challenges such as building safety, life safety, retrofit planning and ongoing property management. The BIM4HAs Toolkit (which implements the UK BIM Framework for housing) and the Construction Leadership Council Golden Thread Guidance together support better decision-making, risk mitigation and compliance with safety regulations. The One Housing case is a stark reminder of the need for housing providers to adopt and implement these structured approaches to information management.”
Information challenge in mergers
One Housing was a housing association, based in London and the South East. In December 2021, its considerably larger peer, Riverside Group, began a process of merging One Housing’s portfolio and operations into its own. In its final accounts (for the year to 31 March 2022), One Housing was responsible for 17,000 homes. The merger was completed in April 2023. Riverside now manages more than 75,000 homes.
One Housing’s statement (provided by the Ombudsman), noted: “Riverside merged with One Housing in April 2023 and since then Riverside has implemented their systems and processes in relation to asbestos management.”
Mergers and closures have been a hallmark of the social housing sector in the past few years – according to the Regulator of Social Housing, the number of registered providers fell from 1,621 in March 2020 to 1,592 in March 2024. Indeed, the number of private providers fell from 1,424 to 1,385 in that period, while the number of local authority providers grew.
This case should act as a reminder to those providers entering mergers that a sharp focus should be applied in the due diligence phase to the robustness of the asset information being shared.
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