The Renters' Rights Act 2025 creates a new PRS Ombudsman. All private landlords in England must join. Here is what it will cover and what it will not replace.
On this page
What is the new PRS Ombudsman?
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 creates a brand-new body: the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Ombudsman. Once it opens, every private landlord in England will be legally required to join. The scheme is planned to go live in late 2026 or 2027, though the government has not confirmed an exact date yet.
The PRS Ombudsman will give private tenants a free, independent complaints route when things go wrong with a private landlord. Until now, nothing like this has existed for the private rented sector. The Housing Ombudsman has always covered social housing only (councils and housing associations). Private tenants had no equivalent.
What the PRS Ombudsman will cover
The scheme is expected to handle complaints about:
- Repairs not being done in a reasonable time
- How the property is managed day to day
- Rent increases and how they are communicated
- Deposit disputes not already handled by a tenancy deposit scheme
- General landlord behaviour where a formal complaint has been raised and not resolved
The process will follow the same broad pattern as the Housing Ombudsman: tenant raises complaint with the landlord first, landlord has a set period to respond, then if the outcome is unsatisfactory the tenant can escalate to the Ombudsman.
How it differs from the Housing Ombudsman
The Housing Ombudsman deals only with social landlords: councils and housing associations. It has no power over private landlords. The PRS Ombudsman fills that gap. The two bodies are separate and will remain separate.
If you are a social tenant (council or housing association) with a complaint about repairs, the Housing Ombudsman is still the right route alongside a formal disrepair claim. If you are a private tenant, the new PRS Ombudsman will eventually be your equivalent.
What the PRS Ombudsman will not replace
This is important. The new Ombudsman will not replace the civil courts or the housing disrepair claim route.
If your landlord has breached their legal duties under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 or the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, you may be entitled to compensation. That compensation can only be awarded by a court, not an ombudsman. The Ombudsman can require a landlord to carry out works or make a modest payment, but its remedies are limited compared to a successful county court claim.
The two routes can be used together: you can raise a complaint with the Ombudsman about the landlord's behaviour and still bring a civil disrepair claim for compensation.
What private tenants can do right now
The PRS Ombudsman is not open yet. In the meantime, private tenants have the following options.
Report to your council's environmental health team. If your home has serious problems, including damp and mould, cold, electrical issues, or structural problems, the council can inspect under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). If they find a Category 1 hazard, they have a legal duty to act, not just a choice.
Follow the pre-action protocol for housing disrepair. Before starting a court claim, you are expected to write to your landlord formally setting out the disrepair. This letter also starts the legal clock on their obligation to respond.
Bring a civil disrepair claim. If your landlord has not repaired the property within a reasonable time after being told about the problem, you may have a claim for compensation. Call us on 0800 030 4669 for a free assessment. No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.
Get help
If your private landlord is ignoring repair problems and you want to know your options now, call Support for Tenants on 0800 030 4669. We are a regulated company, not a law firm, and we connect tenants with solicitors who handle housing disrepair cases.
Sources: Renters' Rights Bill: overview, GOV.UK; Housing Ombudsman, about us.
Support For Tenants is a trading name of Cyntex Group Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a Claims Management Company. FRN 1020217. Registered in England and Wales.
Reviewed against current housing law for England and Wales as at 29 May 2026. Checked by our SRA-regulated panel solicitors. This is general information, not legal advice for your specific case. Any compensation figures or ranges shown are illustrative only and not guaranteed; every case is different.
Related on Support for Tenants
Renting with damp, mould or leaks your landlord won't fix?
No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.