How can we make it easier for tenants to raise complaints and explain clearly what has gone wrong, what impact it has had, and what they would like to see happen next?

This was the focus of a recent Tpas member session with John from the Housing Ombudsman, where tenants were invited to review a draft complaint template designed to help tenants organise the details of their complaint clearly, making it easier to set out the issue, its impact and the outcome they are seeking.

The template includes sections for personal details, communication preferences and reasonable adjustments, a description of the issue, and the outcome the tenant would like to achieve. It aims to give tenants a clear structure to explain their concerns and help landlords understand what needs to be put right.

Putting tenants at the heart of the process

Members welcomed the opportunity to help shape the template, highlighting the importance of making it practical, accessible and easy to use.

One suggestion was to include service improvement as a possible outcome, recognising that tenants may want more than an individual issue resolved, they may also want to help prevent the same problem happening to others.

Accessibility was another key theme, with suggestions including large-print versions, braille and audio formats. Members also discussed the value of clear guidance to help tenants complete the template in their own words, keeping information focused and easy to understand.

The discussion explored how the template could be promoted to tenants and used alongside existing tools and processes. Members also highlighted the challenges of complaints involving several organisations, where better coordination between landlords, councils and other agencies may be needed.

What happens next?

The Ombudsman will use the feedback from the session, alongside other consultation responses, to refine the template. The updated version will then be shared for further feedback before being made publicly available on the Housing Ombudsman’s website.

The Ombudsman will also explore ways to make the template accessible to more tenants and provide supporting guidance on completing it.

The template is intended to help tenants raise complaints with their landlord in the first instance. While landlords will not be required to use it, the Ombudsman hopes it will provide a helpful, consistent approach to setting out concerns and desired outcomes.

Thank you to everyone who took part and shared their experience and ideas. Tenant-focused tools work best when the people who may use them have a say in how they are designed.