The Housing Ombudsman has identified five key areas where RPs can strengthen their approach to complaint handling

First reported	Story	Sources
29 Jul 2026	In a report published on 28th July, the organisation called on RPs to go beyond minimum requirements, and to focus on building a more consistent, evidence-led culture that involves residents. In particular, they should: Treat the annual submission against the Complaint Handling Code as an active assurance tool, not a one-off exercise Ensure that their governance arrangements give the right level of challenge and visibility over complaint handling performance Apply a consistent approach to complaint handling across all teams, services and third-party providers Maintain clear ownership of complaints throughout the process, including where services are delivered by third parties Identify the learning from complaints, acting on it and sharing it with residents and teams across the organisation.	IH 98083

First reported

Story

Sources

29 Jul 2026

In a report published on 28th July, the organisation called on RPs to go beyond minimum requirements, and to focus on building a more consistent, evidence-led culture that involves residents. In particular, they should:

Treat the annual submission against the Complaint Handling Code as an active assurance tool, not a one-off exercise
Ensure that their governance arrangements give the right level of challenge and visibility over complaint handling performance
Apply a consistent approach to complaint handling across all teams, services and third-party providers
Maintain clear ownership of complaints throughout the process, including where services are delivered by third parties
Identify the learning from complaints, acting on it and sharing it with residents and teams across the organisation.

IH 98083