Housing Ombudsman Service: Who Qualifies and What You Get
Learn how to access independent dispute resolution if you have a disagreement with your social or private landlord.
The Housing Ombudsman Service provides an independent way to settle disputes between tenants and their landlords. It acts as an impartial body to help resolve disagreements that cannot be settled through standard channels.
Who it's for
This service is available to tenants living in social housing. It is also accessible to tenants of some private landlords, depending on the specific circumstances of the rental agreement and the nature of the dispute.
What you get
You receive independent dispute resolution. This means that rather than relying solely on your landlord's perspective, an impartial third party will look into the matter to help reach a fair resolution to the problem you are facing.
What it costs you
The service is free to use, meaning there are no government fees for accessing this dispute resolution process. However, it does require an investment of your time. You must be prepared to document your issues and follow the necessary steps required by the service to move your case forward.
The catch to know
The most important thing to understand is that you cannot skip the internal complaints process. Many people attempt to contact the service immediately when a problem arises, but the ombudsman will not intervene until you have first exhausted your landlord's own official internal complaints procedure. You must give your landlord the chance to fix the issue through their own systems before this service will step in.
How to apply
- Formally lodge a complaint using your landlord's specific internal complaints procedure.
- Follow every step of that process and wait for your landlord to provide a final response.
- If the final response does not resolve the issue, gather your documentation and evidence.
- Visit the official portal to submit your case for independent review.