Ombudsman urges ethical complaint culture as non-compliance with handling orders risesPrint

The Housing Ombudsman’s latest Complaint Handling Failure Order (CHFO) report has seen the percentage of non-compliance with them at its highest level ever recorded.

The orders relate to the last quarter before the Complaint Handling Code became statutory, underscoring the importance of the Code becoming statutory and the Ombudsman powers being extended to improve local complaint handling standards.

Behind the non-compliance are residents without a resolution, whether it is a response from the landlord or a remedy to be fulfilled.

Over the past quarter, the Ombudsman also brought 10 landlords into compliance with the Code – representing 250,000 residents who should now see improved complaint handling as a result.

The Ombudsman has called on landlords to go further than simply complying with the Code, but to move towards ethical complaint handling.

Demonstrating this ethical complaint handling to residents can restore trust where it has previously been fractured.

The landlords that did not comply with its CHFOs this quarter are:

• Hyde Group
• Lewisham Council
• London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
• London Borough of Ealing
• London Borough of Haringey
• London Borough of Newham
• L&Q
• Metropolitan Thames Valley
• Salvation Army Housing Association
• Soho Housing Association
• Sovereign Housing Association
• The Industrial Dwellings Society (1885)
• Tower Hamlets Homes
• Warwick District Council

Complaint Handling Failure Orders issued January to March 2024 (PDF)

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “Every complaint handling order is issued as a last resort and behind every non-compliant order is a resident without resolution.

“Therefore, to see a rise in the non-compliance of these orders should be a red flag to landlords as our Duty to Monitor powers are introduced. These duties will strengthen local complaint handling and build trust between residents and landlords to achieve earlier resolution.

“Landlords must look towards a more ethical approach to complaint handling, where they are not just ticking a box for compliance but are placing residents at the heart of the process and ensuring a human-centric provision.”