The Housing Ombudsman’s Annual Complaints Review for 2023-24 disclosed a significant increase in interventions, with 21,740 actions taken to address resident issues, marking a 329% rise from the previous year. These interventions included repairs, compensation, and practice improvements.
Key findings from the review include:
- 73% of decisions indicated maladministration due to landlords not adhering to legal requirements, policies, or processes.
- Severe maladministration findings increased by 4% to 856, accounting for 7% of all decisions.
- 73% of property condition complaints were upheld, along with 84% for complaint handling, 68% for anti-social behaviour, and 62% for health and safety, including building safety.
- London had the highest proportion of upheld findings at 77%, while the North East and Yorkshire had the lowest at 62%.
- Nine landlords received more than five failure orders for non-compliance with the Complaint Handling Code or cooperation with investigations.
The review highlighted the impact of poor housing conditions on residents, including declining school attendance due to untreated damp and mould, and repair delays affecting daily life. The Ombudsman urged landlords to learn from the review and improve services, emphasising the need for investment in existing homes and better service management to prevent complaints and maintain trust.
Richard Blakeway, from the Housing Ombudsman, stressed the importance of addressing the root causes of complaints to avoid adverse impacts on communities and the economy. The Ombudsman plans to publish a Spotlight report on disrepair, the main driver of complaints, to support landlords in learning from these cases.
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