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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Well Gove announced that it had paid out £500,000 to a company to provide training courses for social housing tenants on how to make complaints last year or maybe 2022.
So he uses our taxes to train tenants how to complain. Then social housing winds up paying out millions in compensation! Which they will come after us for. How many of these tenants are causing issues just to be vexatious and make money? They are social housing tenants.
What can the PRS look forward to with their ‘impartial’ ombudsman? More of the same. Lots of trouble, lots more deliberate vexatious damage and compensation claims. No route out as privately owned property is now social housing. Power given to lazy and ignorant people all looking to gain something.
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Of course some social housing tenants are fine.
Agreed Nick, also it is interesting to read in the article that previous year that maladministration was at 59%.....! Now up to 72%. So processing applications or paperwork the civil service or tenant have been getting over half wrong. By that very stat to then have it go up to over 70% means the people in place are either lazy and incompetent or a severe lack of training.
I think it is probably the former.......
So why should the taxpayer then have to find over 3m a year for compo for this incompetence in the civil service? Glad I am no longer a taxpayer.
A few are fine most won't work and live the entitled life style their ;''human right'' to be given everything at others cost
Good words, Nicky.
I think the £500,000 would have been better spent on training SRS tenants on how to look after the house/flat that the few remaining taxpayers have generously provided them with.
Common sense.
Spot on Nick, although unlike the social housing sector, the vast majority of private landlords are fully compliant and attend to all maintenance issues in a timely manner, so I have no doubt upheld complaints will be a fraction of those in social housing.
In conclusion, private landlords offer higher quality and better maintained property.....Who knew?!!
Fast forward 20 years years and the 'build to rent corporates' will be overseeing the bureaucratic and underfunded high rise mess that will be the 'new' social housing sector.
Shelter, GR et al....you will reap what you sow.
Of Course some Social Tenants are fine but the majority have plenty of time to complain, what else do they do.
It's something to do. To have some power because they don't work or have anything else. It's a way of bossing other people around to get some sense of self worth.
😂 So we spend tax payers cash 💵 to train tenants ( who get a free house), to complain and to then get more tax payer cash 💵 as compo …. Right, got it 🤐🤐. Did I hear bankrupt councils anyone ? 🆘🆘
Yep. That dimwit Gove wasting money and costing money left, right and centre.
Social tenants have spent years having their complaints ignored - now, all of a sudden, they are being listened to & action being taken, so the complaints are flooding in. Social housing is not the wonderful housing the tenants groups believe it to be when demanding more of it!
Good point! I guess they like it because its cheap, but then there is no money for maintenance etc.
I don’t take social tenants. My rents are too expensive for them. 😀
How about they get this mess sorted out, and set and example, before they come after private landlords?
Adverts on FB encouraging social tenants (by government never mind the no-win-no-fee brigade) to complain probably have a lot to do with the increase.
Social rents need to go up to a level that allows providers to maintain their portfolios.
Also, I have to agree with Martin that the money would be better spent on educating tenants on how to look after their homes than on how to complain.
Well if u teach em to complain more complaints will follow. But shows how poor the social ones are. The rules Should take the social ones and sort them not keep hammering us PLL’S.
Why are Social rents so ludicrously cheap when there are no real financial barriers to applying for Social housing? Higher rate tax payers can certainly be Social tenants.
Low income households would qualify for LHA so I can't think of a single valid excuse for Social Housing being cheaper than LHA. How are Social Housing providers supposed to maintain their stock without adequate rent coming in?
Also with such clearly demonstrable poor standards in Social Housing maintenance what exactly qualifies Councils to run licensing schemes and issue fines to PRS landlords? Until they can demonstrate superior skills (or at the very least adequate maintenance of their own stock) perhaps all licensing schemes should be halted?
Havent you seen the council estates where given the right to buy the former renters took pride and looked after them.
Exactly. I was brought up on one such estate and it was interesting to see the change when some houses were sold to the tenants. The majority of the estate was well kept with a minority not tending gardens, painting doors and windows etc. All that changed when they became owner occupiers. 😉
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