What if your landlord is not Housing Ombudsman registered?

Direct answer

Nearly every social landlord in England (council, housing association, large registered provider) is registered with the Housing Ombudsman Service. Private landlords are not, because they have a different redress scheme. If your landlord is not registered when you would expect them to be, there are other routes including the Regulator of Social Housing, your council, the Local Government Ombudsman, and a disrepair claim. Call us free on 0800 030 4669.

Who has to be registered

The Housing Ombudsman covers:

• All local authority landlords (councils).
• All registered providers of social housing (housing associations registered with the Regulator of Social Housing).
• Some other landlords who choose to join voluntarily.

If you rent from any of those, the landlord will be registered.

The Ombudsman does NOT cover:

• Private landlords (use TPO or PRS).
• Letting agents alone (use TPO or PRS).
• Estate agents on a buying or selling matter (use TPO or PRS).
• Some small or unregistered social-housing arrangements.

How to check whether your landlord is registered

The Housing Ombudsman publishes a public scheme members list:

• Go to housing-ombudsman.org.uk/landlords-info/scheme-members-list.
• Search by landlord name.
• The list confirms whether a landlord is a current scheme member.

If you cannot find your landlord, ring the Ombudsman on 0300 111 3000 and ask.

If your social landlord is missing from the list

This is rare. Possible reasons:

• The landlord's name has changed and you are searching for the old name.
• The landlord is part of a parent organisation registered under a different name.
• The landlord has just been added or just been removed.
• The landlord runs unregistered or unregulated social housing (very rare in England).

What to do:

1. Check the parent organisation's name (often listed on your tenancy agreement).
2. Ring your landlord and ask for their Housing Ombudsman scheme membership number.
3. Ring the Ombudsman with the answer to confirm.

If after all that your landlord is genuinely not registered, see the alternatives below.

Alternative routes for social-housing tenants

Regulator of Social Housing (RSH)

The RSH regulates registered providers. They do not handle individual complaints, but they investigate systemic failures by registered providers. If your complaint is part of a wider pattern, the RSH may be interested.

Contact: 0300 124 5225 or gov.uk/government/organisations/regulator-of-social-housing.

Your council's environmental health team

Even if your landlord is not Ombudsman-registered, your council's environmental health team can inspect any home in the borough under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and serve enforcement notices on any landlord. See how to request an HHSRS inspection.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO)

If your landlord is the council acting in its capacity as a public body (not just as your landlord), the LGSCO investigates complaints. Often the Housing Ombudsman handles tenancy and repairs issues, while the LGSCO handles other council services. The two ombudsmen co-ordinate.

Contact: 0300 061 0614 or lgo.org.uk.

Disrepair claim through the courts

For disrepair specifically, you can bring a County Court claim under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 or the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, whether or not the landlord is Ombudsman-registered. No Ombudsman membership is needed to bring a claim.

This is our work. Call us free on 0800 030 4669.

Alternative routes for private-rented tenants

If your private landlord is not in the Ombudsman scheme (they almost never are), use:

• The Property Ombudsman (TPO), covers letting agents and estate agents that have joined. 01722 333 306 or tpos.co.uk.
• The Property Redress Scheme (PRS), the other approved letting-agent redress scheme. 0333 321 9418 or theprs.co.uk.
• Your council's housing-standards team for HHSRS inspections.
• Trading Standards for breaches of the Tenant Fees Act 2019.
• Court action for serious disrepair (us or a solicitor direct).

Strength of evidence still matters

Whatever route you use, the evidence you need is the same:

• Photos, videos and dates.
• Written reports and replies.
• Doctor's letters where relevant.
• Damaged-belongings receipts.
• A clear chronology.

Build the file once and use it everywhere.

How we can help

We do not run Ombudsman complaints. We run disrepair claims. If you have a strong disrepair case alongside any Ombudsman or council route, call us free on 0800 030 4669.

Free call: 0800 030 4669 | Start your claim

Sources

• Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Section 11, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (legislation.gov.uk)