Exclusive: Housing ombudsman Richard Blakeway to step down in July

Mr Blakeway steps down from the role after more than six years, having taken it on in September 2019.

In 2020, he sat down with Inside Housing to talk about his plans to make waves in the sector while repairing broken relationships.

He has overseen a sector under increasing scrutiny in his time in post. The Complaint Handling Code became statutory on 1 April 2024, and last year he launched a ‘new approach’ to investigating underperforming social landlords.

This led to 2025 being the sector watchdog’s “busiest year ever”, with a record number of investigations completed.

At the time, Mr Blakeway warned that social landlords have “yet to fully grip” the sector’s challenges.

With a potential expanding of its scope on the horizon, the Housing Ombudsman last week began consulting on its role in new requirements that will allow tenants to request information from their landlord about the management of their homes.

The process of appointing a new ombudsman is signed off by the secretary of state for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). MHCLG has been contacted for comment. 

Interested applicants can apply for the role with a deadline of 12 February. It comes with a salary of nearly £131,000.