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Complaints to Housing Ombudsman increase by 53% in one year
The number of enquiries and complaints received by the Housing Ombudsman rose by more than 50% year-on-year in the last three months of 2021, latest data shows.
In an Insight report published by the Housing Ombudsman this morning, the watchdog said it received 6,313 complaints and enquiries between October and December last year – up 53% from the same period in 2020.
It found maladministration in 47% of cases between October and December 2021, up from 42% of cases in the previous quarter.
During the same time period, the ombudsman issued orders and recommendations to landlords on 1,300 occasion – an increase of 33% on the previous quarter.
Housing ombudsman Richard Blakeway said the increase in maladministration findings was driven by “several factors”, including “poor communication, excessive delays and poor record-keeping”.
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“This reinforces the need for landlords to use the good practice set out in our Complaint Handling Code, so they can respond to complaints fairly and effectively,” he added.
It comes as the Housing Ombudsman continues to grow as part of the government’s post-Grenfell push to improve the regulation of the social housing sector.
The ombudsman’s latest Insight report provides specific data for the North West, North East and Yorkshire and Humber regions, as well as six case studies involving landlords in those areas.
It found some variation in outcomes across the regions, with 47% of cases involving property conditions from the Yorkshire and Humber being upheld compared with 34% from the North West.
Meanwhile, anti-social behaviour complaints were twice as likely to be upheld in the North East compared with the other two areas.
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