Damp and mould make up 34% of repairs complaints to the Housing Ombudsman

Condensation, damp and mould accounted for 34% of the repairs complaints investigated by the Housing Ombudsman in 2025-26, and the service upheld over 75% of them, its Annual Complaints Review shows.

Leaks made up a further 23% of repairs complaints, with a similar proportion upheld.

Repairs remain the biggest source of complaints overall. The ombudsman says responsive repairs featured in 80% of cases and had the highest rate of severe maladministration of any category, at 5%. Over 65% of the compensation it ordered related to repairs.

Fewer complaints upheld overall

The ombudsman made 8,783 determinations in the year. It upheld 62% of complaints, down from 71% the year before, and says more landlords are resolving problems before they reach it.

Severe maladministration findings fell to 470 from 714. The ombudsman ordered £4.8 million in compensation, with the average per upheld case falling to £703 from £947.

It says part of the fall in the uphold rate reflects a change in how it works: it now looks at how the landlord handled the formal complaint in every case it fully investigates.

The review also found the ombudsman upheld more complaints against local authorities than housing associations, at 72% against 59%. It puts this mostly down to housing associations settling more cases through redress before they reach it.

Andrea Keenoy, Interim Housing Ombudsman, said: "But there is still work for landlords to do. Behind every severe maladministration finding is a household affected by serious failure."

A new category for windows had the highest uphold rate among repairs complaints, at 80%.