Ask The Ombudsman - what we heard
Tuesday 10th of June 2025
On Monday, the 9th of June, we had another great session with Richard Blakeway. The Housing Ombudsman was quizzed for nearly an hour by 35 tenants on a range of subjects. Here are just some of the highlights:
Ombudsman Report on Responsive Repairs
Richard Blakeway discussed the Ombudsman's spotlight report on responsive repairs, highlighting that issues predate recent events like COVID-19 and Brexit, and emphasised the need for modernising repair services. They noted improvements in complaint handling since the code became statutory, though it remains a work in progress. They also stressed the importance of governance and accountability, advocating for changes in statute to support tenant representation and address power imbalances between residents and landlords.
Ombudsman Complaint Handling Transparency
The discussion focused on the Ombudsman service's handling of complaints, with one tenant raising concerns about the 80% of complaints that cannot be taken forward due to being at the inquiry stage. Richard explained that this figure reflects cases where the landlord hasn't yet responded or where the complaint is still in the landlord's process, and clarified that they do take action in cases where there are clear issues, while also providing clear information to residents about their rights to escalate. The service aims to improve transparency by publishing more detailed statistics in their annual review and working towards open data access in the future.
Addressing Antisocial Behaviour Concerns
A Residents Association Chair, raised concerns about ineffective local authority action against antisocial behaviour (ASB) issues in their community, including noise disturbances and improper waste disposal. In response, Richard Blakeway suggested exploring previous noise nuisance reports and engaging with ward councillors to address these issues. he also recommended reviewing joint investigations conducted with the local government and social care ombudsman for potential solutions.
Addressing Investigation Backlog Challenges
Richard explained that the service has been dealing with a significant backlog of cases, with investigations taking up to 16 months to complete. He noted a 40% increase in case workload last year and a 60% increase the year before. He outlined efforts to address the backlog, including recruiting more caseworkers and improving processes, which has resulted in completing about 700 formal investigations per month. The service is now focusing on high-risk cases, aiming to complete them within a few weeks, while lower-risk cases may still take longer. He emphasised the need to explain the investigation process to residents, highlighting that it serves as an alternative to the courts and can take up to 6 months to complete.
Landlord Complaint Handling Improvements
Richard Blakeway discussed the need for landlords to improve their complaint handling processes, noting that while the Housing Ombudsman Service has made progress, inconsistencies still exist in how different landlords respond to complaints. He explained that the Ombudsman Service publishes special investigation reports on landlords with poor performance and works with the regulator to ensure compliance with regulatory standards. A tenant raised concerns about inconsistent responses from different landlords, which Richard acknowledged and assured her that the Ombudsman Service is actively engaging with problematic landlords.
Another questioner asked about the end-of-life considerations for buildings, to which Richard responded that landlords are responsible for deciding whether to maintain or demolish properties, but the Ombudsman Service will ensure landlords meet their obligations under tenancy agreements regardless of a property's age.
Housing Ombudsman Portal Improvements
The meeting discussed improvements to the Housing Ombudsman's portal and complaint handling processes. Richard explained that while the current portal needs upgrading, it's part of a larger system overhaul, with plans to engage users for feedback on new systems. On complaint timescales; Richard defended the 10-day stage one response time, noting that landlords are handling high volumes effectively, and explained that stage two requires clearer resident rationale for escalation.
Landlord Performance and Complaint Handling
The meeting went on to focus on landlord performance and complaint handling; highlighting the variation in landlord practices, praising some housing providers for good performance, while emphasising the need to showcase successful examples to encourage improvement among less engaged landlords. Richard agreed, noting that most landlords are committed to improvement and that highlighting good practices is part of their strategy.
The final question raised concerns about the qualifications and experience of complaint handlers, suggesting they should have higher-level skills to better understand complex issues. Richard acknowledged the importance of an independent complaints team and emphasized the need for empathetic communication to rebuild trust with residents.
You can watch back the session here