Fixing windows (eventually) - but not tackling root causes

A child's bedroom window boarded up for four years. A baby's broken window unfixed until they became a toddler. These aren't isolated incidents – they're symptoms of a deeper learning failure.

I've looked at fifteen different housing providers' responses to the latest Housing Ombudsman severe maladministration findings concerning complaints about faulty windows. The results expose a troubling pattern: organisations stuck in an "efficiency" mindset when they desperately need to focus on "effectiveness."

Most responses obsess over doing things right – better systems, more staff, improved tracking. But only one provider truly questioned whether they were doing the right things, fundamentally challenging why operational efficiency was being prioritised over tenant safety.

The efficiency trap is clear - providers are treating fundamental service failures as technical problems to be solved. New IT systems won't prevent another child living with dangerous windows if the core assumption remains that "major works" schedules matter more than individual circumstances. Or if organisational silos lead to decisions that impact a child's health being taken by teams who are far removed from the end customer and the human consequences of their actions.

Real change requires examining not just how we work, but why we make the choices we do.

Full report from the Housing Ombudsman here

https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/2025/08/13/learning-from-windows-complaints/#:~:text=The%20Housing%20Ombudsman%20has%20published,believe%20landlords%20should%20focus%20on