Housing Ombudsman Anmeldelser 

Since I've made my application (few months ago) I had hope that sometime soon they'll reach me out after my additional two complain emails. But when I noticed the reviews here I officially gave up hearing from them until 2030.

If you are planning to make application and reading this, dont waste your time.

Almost 2 years from the date I fisrt got the Housing Ombudsman involved in a dispute with myhousing association, and, the very rare occasional contact via email/phone, I barely had any contact, furthermore, fast forward to now, I finally got a final decision whether I would be entitled to any compensation for the bad way a heating/hot water system repair was carried out. My son and I were left 14 days without constant hot water to shower, the contractors that were appointed (various ones) failed on a few attempts to notice a cut mains cable supplying the heat pump, which was dangerous in itself. Anyway, as expected, the housing ombudsman sided with the landlord, and found no wrong doing?!

In my opinion, the Housing Ombudsman Service is not fit for purpose.

In my opinion, they usually side with the landlord, and even when you win, the landlord gets extra chances to sort it out and still doesn’t properly resolve the issue.

In my opinion, the service is paid for by housing providers and therefore, in my view, is open to corruption.

In my opinion, I honestly believe there is some corruption involved, but this is just my personal opinion based on my experience.

In my opinion, I would never, ever advise anyone in future to go to the Housing Ombudsman Service. I suggest instead that people go to a no-win, no-fee lawyer and take legal action against their housing authority or landlord.

What is the point of existence of this institution??? Judging by my experience to justify criminal actions of councils. And it takes them awfully long to produce the discriminatory decision! Total gutter!

Shocking service.

been waiting since april 2024 for them to deal with my case, as of today 29/05/2026 (2 years 1 month) they have still not allocated an adjudicator and im sat here just waiting to have my issue dealt with, they need to get rid of the entire staff and rebuild from the bottom.

I have been waiting for over a year and a half for my case and ongoing issues to be properly resolved, yet nothing seems to move forward. Communication is extremely poor, responses take forever, and most of the time it simply feels like you are being ignored.
You are constantly told to wait longer, but there is no real progress, no accountability and no proper support. It is incredibly frustrating to deal with a service that is supposed to help tenants, yet leaves people waiting endlessly with little or no communication.
The entire experience has felt deeply unprofessional and unnecessarily stressful. Very disappointing service overall.

What a complete sham!

They claim they will allocate a Case Worker and respond within 15 working days.

3 months later, we’re still waiting. They say they are Short Staffed..

Turns out they are Funded by the Landlords they are supposed to be making judgments on.

And our Complaint is on behalf of our 92 year old Mum. Time is of the essence.

Ref. : 202551044

If you are looking for a swift resolution to housing failure, look elsewhere. The Housing Ombudsman (HO) is a masterclass in "performance theatre," using high-level legal jargon like "statutory body" and "maladministration" to mask a system that is fundamentally unfit for purpose.
Here is the reality of how this "independent" process actually works:
The Landlord Pays the "Judge": Large landlords like L&Q pay millions in mandatory subscription fees to fund the Ombudsman’s staff and offices. It is a compromised relationship where the accused pays for the investigator. No matter how many "Severe Maladministration" findings they publish to look busy, the funding model ensures the HO remains tethered to the very industry it oversees.
The 1-2 Year Waiting Room: After months of being ignored by your landlord’s broken internal process, you are met with a "one-year wait" just for an investigator to look at your file. This is an absolute travesty. Telling a tenant to wait 12–24 months while living with damp, mould, or leaks is not a service; it is a calculated denial of justice.
Empty Words vs. Meaningful Action: They use terms like "Complaint Handling Code" and "Failure Orders" to create the illusion of authority. In reality, while you are stuck in a massive triage queue, your landlord faces zero immediate consequences. The HO doesn't fix your home; they simply manage a backlog and exchange letters while your living conditions deteriorate.
A Shield for the Powerful: This system exists to keep housing disputes out of the courts. By funneling tenants into years of "triage," they protect the landlord from immediate legal accountability. It is an insult to suggest that this process protects the vulnerable.
Conclusion: Do not be fooled by the official-looking website or the claims of "fairness." This is a taxpayer-backed, landlord-funded waiting room where your health and safety are secondary to their "processes." If you have a serious issue, don't waste years in this queue—seek legal advice and take them to court.

Its almost two years and my case still hasn't been given a case manager. My case which was submitted in 2024 was accepted in August 2025. It's April 2026 and still awaiting a case manager!
I'm post for words beyond this!

The service is utterly useless. After 12 months of submitting an application there is nothing coming out of this strange lot. I chased my case 202503908 several times. There is still no response, no communication and no decision. Can I actually sue these guys for wasting my time?

Shit service, staff, a crack den has more integrity

Almost 3 years from start to finish
No contact to tenant making them aware of delays
Didn't take into account tenants property damaged through penny pinching social landlord ...
Be aware have contents insurance and claim even if its not your fault because these clowns wont help and couldn't care less

The Housing Ombudsmen is NOT fit for purpose.
There are no staff to deal with cases.
They took 2 years and then updated me saying they are busy.
Don't waste your time with this outfit.
There was no resolution to my complaint, communication was misleading and vague.
I had complained that my council failed to respond, but the HO was even worse than dealing with my local council.

Tried to make a complaint on their site and it can't make complaint unless 15 working days. It's 16 working days since! So now I need to go and make complaint to about the Ombudsman because they are more substandard than the HA . Imagine the humiliation of working for this group. You literally cannot sink any lower than the Ombudsman.

After a 112 week wait for an answer to my complaint the HOS unsurprisingly sided with L+Q even though they treated me terribly.

No teeth, what are HOS for? The government should get rid of them and come up with a fairer solution.

When will the government realise that the Housing Ombudsman Service is not only no longer fit for purpose, but has failed so many people, there should be a collective action case brought against them for serious misconduct.

Ive now waited over a year for the ombudsman to investigate an issue with Believe Housing & its corrupt housing officials. Despite there being significant evidence to show fault by the housing group, they'd rather sit on the information hoping it would go away. It was only after the evidence was given to a local online newspaper did the corrupt housing official finally 'retire' supposedly from the company, after lying their way in & shafting their tenants and applicants on the way out. Corruption at its finest & shielded by those supposedly the ones to restore justice and fairness in the housing sector. Totally not fit for purpose.

Zero stars. The housing ombudsman are a waste of time and public money. They do not deal with complaints with respect or in a timely manner . Disorganised and inconsistent. They always side with the landlord. I have made several complaints in the last 4 years and I still have not heard back from them yet. Don’t bother contacting them they will never respond.

Been waiting over two years now for the ombudsman to get around to my case. I write, they don't respond. When they first took the case on, they were horrified at NCHA's neglect, since then, NCHA's officer dealing with it has done a runner, and the ombudsman has gone ominously silent. Who is the ombudsman working for, the tenants or the housing providers?

Never got back to me. They say 15 working days, it's been 21 working days later, still nothing. Not fit for purpose. Going straight to money claims online now. Watchdog needs watching! Useless