Housing Ombudsman annual review shows “some encouraging signs” that landlord handling is improving, despite complaints rising

The 2024/25 review found a 2% fall in the Ombudsman’s overall maladministration rate, a 7% drop for complaint handling and a 9% decrease in fault handling anti-social behaviour.

There were also over 800 more findings made where the landlord took “reasonable steps” to put things right, rather than being ordered to do so by the Ombudsman.

The report noted that complaints performance remains “mixed” across social landlords.

For example, there were 120 landlords where 75% or more complaints were upheld. There were also 131 landlords who received at least one finding of severe maladministration, some several times.

The Ombudsman said however: “We have seen 16 landlords significantly improve their performance this year and two landlords – North Devon Homes and Pickering and Feren Homes – where we investigated several complaints without finding any failings.”

Despite what it described as an “encouraging direction of travel”, the Ombudsman warned that the overall maladministration rate “still sits too high” at 71%.

The Ombudsman said: “Poor property condition continues to dominate our casework with a 43% increase in findings – far above the overall rise in investigations – with no improvement in the maladministration rate.

“Our findings show local authority landlords facing acute pressures handling housing complaints, alongside medium-sized housing associations.”

Overall, the Housing Ombudsman made 26,901 interventions to put things right, with 40% of compensation related to leaks, damp, and mould.

After poor property condition, the most common complaint categories were complaint handling and antisocial behaviour. However, complaint handling maladministration findings fell from 84% in 2023-24 to 77% in 2024-25.

The Ombudsman also saw a steep drop in the number of findings of severe maladministration in disputes about complaint handling. It made 113 such findings in 2024-25, down from 230 in 2023-24, despite the increase in the number of decisions.

The report noted: “This suggests that landlords are more aware of and responsive to shortcomings in their complaint handling. There is more work for landlords to do in order to improve the complaint handling uphold rate.”

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “Governing bodies will determine whether complaints are seen as a threat or an opportunity. Our annual review provides them with a strategic moment to reflect on their organisation’s progress.

“Re-examination can be an unforgiving lens. But there are reoccurring lessons across thousands of complaints, which if addressed could prevent future service failure. Culture, communication, and data integrity are pivotal to the outcome of a complaint.

“This review shows the first signs of the sector’s complaint handling improving. It is from a high failure rate and focus cannot be diverted. Still, it shows some things are starting to work.”

He continued: “[…] Landlords work in a complex and changing environment. This will include more use of Artificial Intelligence by both landlords and residents in the complaints process. It also includes legal and regulatory changes.

“The advent of Awaab’s Law, a reformed Decent Homes Standard, and the Regulator’s Competence and Conduct Standard could transform housing management over the next decade.

“To ensure the success of these measures, landlords must continue to learn from complaints for the benefit of this and future generations.”

Responding to the Annual Complaints Review, Cllr Tom Hunt, Chair of the LGA’s Inclusive Growth Committee said: “Everyone deserves a safe and secure home to live in, and it is never acceptable if people find themselves in situations where they do not have access to it.

“Councils take their responsibility to ensure that people have access to good quality housing seriously, and it is positive that the report recognises the progress that local government is making in responding to those with complaints about their living conditions.

“However, the report also rightly highlights that there remains significant progress for local government to make in responding as quickly and effectively to the most serious of complaints about housing.

“To properly address this, local government needs adequate funding to both ensure that existing housing stock is of good quality – especially with the incoming Awaab’s Law requirements to tackle damp and mould – and also to build more homes to ease pressure on the system.”

Lottie Winson