The Housing Ombudsman has released its latest Spotlight report entitled “Repairing Trust” which sheds light on the national crisis in maintaining England’s social housing.   

Despite millions of successful repairs, persistent dissatisfaction among residents exist. An unprecedented rise in complaints threatens to undermine social landlords contribution to the government’s housebuilding ambitions unless reforms address systemic issues. The Ombudsman calls for a transformative overhaul. This includes urging the establishment of a national tenant body to strengthen tenant voice and landlord accountability, alongside a comprehensive review of funding practices. 

The report highlights evidence of stigma leading to poor landlord behaviour. It also acknowledges operatives are reporting more instances of unreasonable behaviour by residents.  The causes for repeated failings include an absence of records on properties, physical and mental health needs being missed, temporary fixes rather than permanent repairs and patterns of poor diagnosis, delays and quality assurance. The report examines decades-old challenges that predate Brexit and current skill shortages. 

The Ombudsman highlights the need to modernise maintenance operations and end some poor practices. This includes closing cases before hazards are resolved because of unevidenced claims that the resident denied access. Based on a review of hundreds of cases and over 3,000 responses to a call for evidence, including MPs and councillors, the report presents some stark data, including: 

• a 474% increase in complaints concerning substandard living conditions between 2019-20 to 2024-25
• of these complaints, 72% have been identified as stemming from poor practice
• £3.4m compensation ordered for poor living conditions in 2024-25
• despite social landlords spending a record £9bn on repairs and maintenance in 2023-24
• an estimated 1.5 million children in England live in a non-decent home in 2023, 19% of those live in social housing  

The report includes examples of good practice alongside instances of poor handling. This includes a resident’s personal belongings being destroyed during works, operatives arriving in the middle of the night without notice and delays leaving a disabled resident without bathing facilities for months.

The report outlines the strong shared interest between residents, landlords and contractors for change. By focusing on shared goals of respect, empathy, accurate information, safety, and mutual trust, relationships can be strengthened.