Ombudsman Highlights Need for Stronger Apologies in Social Housing

The Housing Ombudsman has called on social housing landlords to offer more meaningful and genuine apologies when mistakes affect residents. A recent report revealed that some tenants have suffered significant distress due to failures such as prolonged anti-social behaviour and delayed repairs, yet the apologies issued by landlords often fall short of acknowledging the full impact.

Examples of Insufficient Apologies

One case involved Bristol City Council, which was criticised for an “unsympathetic” response to a tenant who felt unable to remain in their home due to anti-social behaviour. The Ombudsman noted the council’s failure to conduct a proper risk assessment or adopt a victim-centred approach. Although the council apologised for the inconvenience, the apology did not recognise the serious effect on the resident’s wellbeing. The Ombudsman subsequently ordered the council to issue a verbal apology for its shortcomings.

In response, Bristol City Council stated it had “provided briefings to staff with case-based learning, strengthened its complaint handling process, and reviewed its antisocial behaviour model.”

Another example involved Southern Housing, which failed to replace a tenant’s windows for over three years. Despite knowing the tenant was autistic, the landlord did not offer a temporary relocation. While Southern Housing apologised for causing the resident to believe the windows would be replaced, it did not apologise for the impact of the delay. The Ombudsman again ordered a verbal apology.

Southern Housing told the report it had “increased resourcing within our contract services department to better support the management of complex issues and ensure resident vulnerabilities are consistently identified and taken into account.”

The Value of Genuine Apologies

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, emphasised the importance of sincere apologies, stating: “Genuine apologies can be restorative. It makes the resident-landlord relationship stronger. It shows an open, healthy culture. It provides residents with dignity and respect. And it offers the landlord a moment for reflection.”

He added, “Given the imbalance of power with residents, saying sorry for mistakes is especially important for social landlords. Rebuilding trust matters when most residents will still live with the same landlord, regardless of its performance or any failings.”

Blakeway also highlighted the Ombudsman’s role in encouraging meaningful apologies, noting that more than 4,000 apologies are ordered annually. “An apology is a human way to acknowledge the pain organisational failings can cause. Complaints handled well can be restorative. Handled badly, and the complaints process compounds earlier service failings and further erodes trust.”

He concluded, “We know saying sorry isn’t always easy. Nor is it always enough. But we encourage social landlords not to shy away from it.”

Context: New Legal Requirements for Social Housing

This call for stronger apologies comes as new regulations, such as Awaab’s Law, require social housing landlords to address dangerous damp and mould within strict timeframes and complete emergency repairs within 24 hours. These legal changes increase the pressure on landlords to improve service standards and tenant communication.

What This Means for Landlords

For UK social housing landlords and managing agents, the Ombudsman’s report underscores the importance of not only addressing complaints promptly but also ensuring that apologies fully acknowledge the tenant’s experience and the impact of service failures. Genuine apologies can help rebuild trust and demonstrate a commitment to tenant welfare, which is crucial in maintaining positive landlord-tenant relationships.

Landlords should review their complaint handling procedures to ensure apologies are sincere, comprehensive, and accompanied by appropriate remedial actions. This approach aligns with the Ombudsman’s guidance and supports compliance with evolving regulatory expectations.

Suggested internal link anchors

• social housing landlord apologies
• complaint handling process
• anti-social behaviour
• tenant vulnerability
• repair delays
• Awaab’s Law
• emergency repairs
• tenant-landlord relationship
• Housing Ombudsman
• service failures
• tenant communication
• complaint resolution

TLA update

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