New Housing Complaints Resolution Service Announced for Entire Housing Market

NEW PLANS for a housing complaints service have been announced for both homeowners and tenants to complain to when things go wrong. For the first time, private landlords will be legally required to join a housing redress scheme.

The new Housing Complaints Resolution Service will be a second-tier service when housebuilder or landlord complaints procedures have been exhausted. Private landlords will be legally required to become members of a redress scheme – with a fine of up to £5,000 if they fail to do so.

The government has also reiterated its commitment to establishing a New Homes Ombudsman which, it says, will champion home buyers, protect their interests and hold developers to account.

Housing Complaints Resolution Service

Developers will be legally required to belong to the Ombudsman, and by 2021 if they wish to participate in the government’s Help to Buy scheme.

Currently, the housing market has several different complaints bodies, with homeowners and tenants having to navigate their way through a complicated and bureaucratic system to find the correct organisation with which to register a grievance.

Establishing a single housing complaints service for all residents aims to support people who have failed to resolve issues on their own and make it easier to claim compensation where it’s owed.

The service will be developed with a new Redress Reform Working Group made up of representatives from across the sector, working with industry and consumers.

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