Complaining to the Ombudsman
This content applies to England only.
Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. Get advice relating to Scotland
If the council or housing association won't repair your home and you've tried using your landlord's complaints procedure but you are still not satisfied with the result, you may be able to complain to the ombudsman.
Which ombudsman should I complain to?
Ombudsmen are independent watchdogs that investigate complaints about public sector landlords not doing something they should have done, or doing things in the wrong way. There are different services for council and housing association tenants:
- The Housing Ombudsman Service deals with complaints from housing association tenants.
- The Local Government Ombudsman deals with complaints from council tenants.
Both services are free.
What can they do?
The ombudsman will not investigate every complaint made to them. If they do investigate your complaint, they will look into the way your landlord dealt with your request for repairs to assess whether they acted fairly and followed the correct procedures.
If they agree with your complaint, they can recommend that your landlord takes steps to put things right, and may suggest that they pay you compensation as well. Their decisions are not legally binding, but most landlords will usually follow them.
How do I make a complaint?
Both organisations have information and forms explaining how to make a complaint on their websites. You have to complain in writing and should include any evidence that supports your complaint, such as:
- photographs showing the repairs which need doing
- photographs of damaged belongings
- copies of any letters you send to your landlord
- copies of any doctor's notes or hospital reports which show that your health has been affected by the problem
- receipts for any money you need to spend because of the repair problem (eg if you had to replace damaged belongings).
It is worth getting advice from a Shelter advice centre or Citizens Advice before you make your complaint. Use our directory to find one. They can help you put together the arguments you will need to make, and can help you fill in the forms.
