The Housing Ombudsman’s 2024-25 Annual Complaints Review reveals social landlords are starting to handle complaints better, even as volumes continue to rise.
Overall maladministration fell by two percentage points, with complaint handling down 7% and anti-social behaviour fault handling down 9%.
Landlords themselves resolved over 800 additional cases before Ombudsman intervention.
Performance remains mixed: 120 landlords had 75% or more complaints upheld, while 131 received at least one finding of severe maladministration.
Sixteen landlords significantly improved, and two – North Devon Homes and Pickering and Feren Homes – had no failings in multiple investigations.
Poor property conditions dominate casework, with a 43% increase in findings, affecting residents’ health and wellbeing. The Ombudsman made 26,901 interventions, 40% addressing leaks, damp, and mould.
Cllr Tom Hunt, chair of the Local Government Association’s Inclusive Growth Committee, welcomed progress but stressed the need for adequate funding to meet rising standards, including Awaab’s Law and the Decent Homes reforms.
