Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Accepted
Paragraph: 114
Shared owners lack effective complaint mechanisms and awareness of Housing Ombudsman escalation.
Conclusion
Shared owners need a proper mechanism through which to feed back dissatisfaction with repairs, maintenance and other aspects of the management of their property. Based on the evidence we have received, many shared owners are clearly unaware of the option of escalating unresolved complaints to the Housing Ombudsman, suggesting that better signposting is needed. The evidence also makes clear that, in many cases, providers’ internal complaints mechanisms are not fit for purpose, with shared owners often experiencing significant delays in waiting on responses from the landlord to their complaints.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees on the need for complaint mechanisms and states that a robust framework already exists, which has seen recent improvements including new tenant satisfaction measures and a consultation on access to information requirements.
Paragraph Reference:
114
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
51. We agree with the Committee that shared owners should have a mechanism through which to communicate with their registered providers. Where necessary, this includes routes to express their dissatisfaction with relevant elements of their experience, and to seek redress where the matter cannot be satisfactorily resolved between the shared owner and their registered provider. A robust framework exists to ensure that this is the case, and a significant amount of recent work has been dedicated to its further improvement. 52. As part of the Regulator’s Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard, registered providers must have processes in place to ensure complaints are addressed fairly, effectively, and promptly. As part of this approach, registered providers must offer accessible information to tenants and shared owners about what they can do if they are dissatisfied with the outcome of a complaint or how the complaint was handled. 53. On 1 April 2024, the Regulator launched its new consumer regime. Under the new regime, the Regulator will proactively seek evidence and assurances from registered providers that they are meeting the outcomes set by the revised consumer standards, including the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. 54. Compliance with the Housing Ombudsman’s complaint handling code is now a statutory requirement for registered providers. To demonstrate their compliance, registered providers must complete an annual self-assessment and publish it to the part of their website dealing with complaints. This ensures that registered providers can be open and transparent with tenants and shared owners on their complaint handling processes, including what they have learnt from complaints received. 55. The Government has used its ‘Make Things Right’ campaign, which has been running for four years, to raise the profile of the Housing Ombudsman, with the campaign leading to increased awareness and in the number of complaints received from residents. 56. The latest year’s Make Things Right campaign saw £2m invested and ran from October 2023 to March 2024. Adverts were placed across commercial radio stations, digital streaming platforms such as Spotify and Amazon Music, and social media to provide tenants and shared owners with key information about their rights and the responsibilities of their landlord. The Make Things Right campaign website offers a step-by-step guide on how to make a complaint, and the role of the Housing Ombudsman in this process. Paid search advertising via online search engines was used to drive engagement. The next stage of the campaign is due in the summer. 57. The Government and Homes England will amend the key information documents to include reference to both the Housing Ombudsman and the Make Things Right campaign. 58. More broadly, work has been undertaken to better equip tenants and shared owners to hold their registered providers to account where things go wrong. As part of the new consumer regime, registered providers are required to publish new tenant satisfaction measures (TSMs), and those with over 1,000 units of social housing will be required to submit these to the Regulator by 30 June. This will include a shared ownership-specific set of survey results for registered providers with a 1,000 or more shared ownership homes. 59. In addition to offering existing and prospective shared owners a valuable insight into the performance of registered providers, the Regulator will also use this information as a key piece of regulatory intelligence, strengthening their oversight of registered provider functions, including the need for a clear and effective approach for responding to complaints. 60. The Government is consulting currently on the introduction of new Social Tenants Access to information Requirements (STAIRS), that will enable tenants and shared owners of private registered providers to access information held by their landlords about the management of their homes.