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The Housing Ombudsman Service is a free, independent body that investigates complaints against social landlords in England. If your council or housing association has ignored or mishandled a disrepair complaint, and their internal process has failed you, the Ombudsman is the next step.
Who can use it
The Ombudsman handles complaints about registered social landlords in England:
- Councils (local authorities)
- Housing associations (including Clarion, Peabody, L&Q, Sanctuary, Places for People, and all others registered with the RSH)
- Arms-length management organisations (ALMOs)
Private tenants cannot use the Housing Ombudsman. Private tenants should use the Pre-Action Protocol and civil courts for disrepair, and from late 2026, the new Private Rented Sector (PRS) Ombudsman.
You must exhaust your landlord's complaints procedure first
Before the Ombudsman will investigate, you must:
- Raise a formal complaint with your landlord (use the words "formal complaint" in writing)
- Get a stage 1 response (your landlord must reply within 10 working days)
- Escalate to stage 2 if unsatisfied (landlord must reply within 20 working days)
- Then go to the Ombudsman, at any point after stage 2, within 12 months of the landlord's final response
Your landlord must acknowledge your formal complaint within 5 working days.
What the Ombudsman can find
The Ombudsman can find:
- No maladministration (landlord handled it reasonably)
- Service failure (something went wrong but limited impact)
- Maladministration (clear failures in how the landlord handled your complaint)
- Severe maladministration (serious, systemic failures)
For the most serious findings, the Ombudsman can order:
- A formal apology
- Compensation (typically £250 to several thousand pounds)
- A change in landlord policy or procedure
- Referral to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) where there are patterns of failure
What the Ombudsman cannot do
The Ombudsman cannot:
- Order a landlord to carry out repairs (it can recommend it but the order enforces compensation, not works)
- Investigate complaints more than 12 months after the landlord's final response
- Handle complaints about private landlords
- Award large amounts of compensation (unlike civil court disrepair claims)
- Award damages for personal injury
This is why many tenants use the Ombudsman alongside a civil disrepair claim, not instead of one.
Ombudsman vs. civil disrepair claim
| Ombudsman | Civil disrepair claim | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | No win, no fee (fee from compensation if you win) |
| What you get | Apology, smaller compensation, policy change | Larger compensation, order for repairs |
| Speed | Months to over a year | 3 to 18 months |
| Can order repairs | No (can recommend) | Yes (court order) |
| Personal injury | No | Yes |
| Private landlords | No | Yes |
Many tenants run both at the same time. There is no rule preventing this, and the Ombudsman file can provide useful evidence for your civil claim.
How to complain to the Ombudsman
- Go to www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk (free to use)
- Complete the online form or call 0300 111 3000
- Upload your complaint correspondence and evidence
- The Ombudsman will assess, investigate, and contact your landlord
The Ombudsman has recently been given stronger powers under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023. Findings of severe maladministration are published by name.
The Complaint Handling Code
Since 2024, the Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code has been statutory. This means landlords must comply with it or face enforcement. The Code requires:
- A two-stage complaint process
- Stage 1 response within 10 working days
- Stage 2 response within 20 working days
- A compensation policy
- A named complaints officer at board level
If your landlord has not followed the Code, this is itself grounds for a finding.
Can I still make a disrepair claim if I've complained to the Ombudsman?
Yes. A civil disrepair claim under Section 11 LTA 1985 and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 is completely separate from the Ombudsman process. You can do both.
If the Ombudsman finds maladministration, that finding can support your civil case. If the civil claim settles, the Ombudsman investigation does not automatically close.