The Housing Ombudsman has revealed figures showing huge increases in the numbers of complaints from tenants on social housing.
The Ombudsman says in a statement that the service “is expected to double the number of investigations completed in 2023-24 compared to the previous year – equating to a determination being issued around every 20 minutes.”
The record year for complaints includes a 91% increase in cases in the first nine months of 2023-24 (compared to the same period last year); and a maladministration rate of 72% (it was 59% in 2022-23) over the same three quarter periods.
Compensation was £3.7m (compared to £1.1m for the whole of 2022-23) with more than 14,000 remedies recommended (compared to 6,500 in the prior year) by Q3
The Ombudsman goes on to say: “The next year will be pivotal in the housing sector with the commencement of much of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, including proactive consumer regulation and the legal duties to comply with the Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.”
The Ombudsman is now consulting on how to develop its service in 2024-25.
“Overall, 2024-25 is likely to be a difficult year for social landlords and, as a result, the Ombudsman expects demand to continue to increase by between 50% and 80% compared to 2023-24” says the service.
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