Ombudsman’s new power to issue Good Practice to focus on relationship management in its first edition
9 January 2025
Ombudsman’s new power to issue Good Practice to focus on relationship management in its first edition
The Housing Ombudsman will release its first Good Practice guidance later this year, focusing on relationship management between landlords and their residents.
The topic was strongly supported during the Ombudsman’s consultation last year on the proposed approach to Good Practice, with the consultation feedback published today.
Good Practice consultation response (PDF)
The consultation received 163 responses involving landlords, residents, and other key stakeholders.
The first issue of the guidance will not only look at maintaining effective relationships but also an aspect of complaints the Ombudsman sees often, restoring relationships which have broken down. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry report brought into stark focus the tragic impact this can have, with ‘relations increasingly characterised by distrust, dislike, personal antagonism and anger… The result was a toxic atmosphere fuelled by mistrust on both sides.’
Good Practice, a power introduced by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act and developed through consultation with residents and landlords, will provide examples of where landlords have got things right.
This will establish a framework to help landlords problem solve in a challenging area that can regularly result in complaints. It will also share practical lessons and aim to reduce the need for residents to raise a complaint or refer their case to the Ombudsman.
A self-assessment against the guidance will support the learning and development of improvement plans, with landlords encouraged to test themselves to learn from complaints, which can act as a unique catalyst for positive, lasting change.
The Ombudsman’s Centre for Learning will play a key part in supporting landlords to engage with Good Practice and our wider learning offer, alongside insight from the Ombudsman’s Resident Panel, which will ensure future proposals for Good Practice are grounded in resident and landlord experience.
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “Good practice will be a valuable tool for landlords to test approaches and improve using the insights of complaints. As with all learning from complaints, the right culture and behaviours will produce the greatest benefits rather than a tick-box exercise.
“Our first topic will further explore areas in last year’s Spotlight report on attitudes, respects, and rights, encouraging landlords to refocus their attention on embracing every contact with a resident as an opportunity to get to know their customers, understand their needs and build relationships.
“This guidance will share the good we see in our casework which can sometimes be overshadowed by examples of where things have gone wrong. We will highlight approaches where landlords have delivered person-centered services rather than follow ‘copy and paste’ policies, which can often fail in the current and complex operating environment.
“We would like to thank the landlords and residents who took their time to respond to the consultation this year and look forward to continuing the collaboration as we roll out Good Practice during this year.”