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Written question asked by Neil Coyle (Labour) on Monday, 8 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 June 2026. It was answered by Matthew Pennycook (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 June 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Housing Ombudsman Service

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will consider allowing the Housing Ombudsman to issue fines for maladministration by housing providers to recompense tenants, ensure implementation of recommendations and to cover some costs of ombudsman activities.

Answer

The Housing Ombudsman is an independent and impartial adjudicator, investigating and resolving individual complaints between social housing residents and their landlords.

To maintain that independence and fairness, it is not appropriate for the Ombudsman to take enforcement action against landlords.

Instead, where it identifies evidence of a failure at the landlord level, it can refer matters to the independent Regulator of Social Housing, which is responsible for setting standards that landlords are required to meet and assessing how far landlords are delivering the outcomes of those standards. The Regulator can take regulatory or enforcement action where necessary.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
7467
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Fines Maladministration Powers Housing Ombudsman Service
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk