Beyond the Code: Cultivating a learning culture from complaints in social housing 

Campbell Tickell Consultant, Francesca Macey, reflects on the findings of the Housing Ombudsman’s latest annual report, arguing that true progress in social housing requires more than just compliance with the Complaints Handling Code.

The publication of the latest Housing Ombudsman Annual Report encourages critical reflection on key findings across the sector. On one hand, it has highlighted where we continue to fall short, but on the other it offers encouraging signs of progress and a clear narrative for improvement.

One thing as I was reading that remains crystal clear: effective complaint handling cannot just be about regulatory compliance; it needs to be about embedding a culture where residents feel heard, colleagues are able to swiftly resolve problems, and organisations truly learn and improve by looking at the wider picture.

The Ombudsman’s review: Where we stand

The 2024-2025 review painted a picture of increasing demand for the Ombudsman’s service, with over 7,000 decisions made and an overall upheld rate of 71%. This means that in the vast majority of cases, the Ombudsman found maladministration or service failure, or required the landlord to take further action because their internal resolution was insufficient.

Here are the critical takeaways:

1. The persistent repairs problem: Unsurprisingly, Property Condition/Repairs remains the biggest driver of complaints, with findings in this category soaring by 43%. Issues like leaks, damp, mould, and heating failures are not just inconveniences; they profoundly impact residents’ health and well-being. The impending Awaab’s Law will only intensify the focus on proactive, preventative action in these areas.

2. Glimmers of hope: While overall upheld rates are high, there’s a tentative positive trend in how landlords are handling complaints. The maladministration rate for complaint handling itself saw a slight dip, and there’s evidence that more landlords are offering reasonable redress earlier in their internal processes. This suggests that the message about early resolution and taking ownership is starting to translate into the service provided.

3. The governance gap: The review continues to highlight that many landlords are still not fully embedding the Code’s principles – particularly around timeliness, communication, and clear differentiation between service requests and complaints. Local authorities and medium-sized housing associations often face the biggest challenges here.

Campbell Tickell’s research: Beyond performance to the culture

Here at Campbell Tickell, we believe that compliance metrics and performance numbers aren’t enough; we need to understand the underlying culture that drives those results.

That’s why we are currently undertaking a sector research piece focused specifically on the culture of complaint handling in English social housing providers. We’re looking beyond the numbers to explore what makes a positive complaints culture and the current position of the sector, exploring:

• Learning and systemic change: How effectively is the sector embedding learning to drive systemic improvement from complaint findings?
• Resident facing capability and resident focus: What is the state of operational delivery and where are the key cultural gaps in resident facing complaint resolution?
• Strategic commitment and accountability: To what extent does strategic accountability and visible leadership effectively drive the desired culture across social landlords?

Introducing the CT Complaints CultureScan Tool

To support this vital work, we are also thrilled to be piloting a new Complaints CultureScan tool, working with Gentoo, SNG, Wokingham Borough Council, Community Gateway Preston, Barnsbury Housing Association and West Lancashire Borough Council.

This innovative diagnostic goes beyond compliance audits. It provides a holistic, objective assessment of your organisation’s internal complaints culture. Through a survey, the tool measures an organisation’s performance against seven key cultural pillars based on academic cultural studies: Progressive, Structured, Empowered, Empathetic, Accessible, Cultivating, and Accountable.

This supports organisations to:

1. Identify root causes: Celebrate successes and pinpoint the cultural blockages preventing effective complaint resolution and proactive service improvement, with your internal cultural described in the context of your complaint handling performance.

2. Benchmark your performance: Understand how your culture aligns with best practice of your peers.

3. Develop targeted actions: Receive an actionable set of recommendations to continually develop your complaints handling culture.

The Housing Ombudsman’s Annual Review is a powerful reminder that housing management is under intense scrutiny. By truly embracing a culture of learning from complaints, we can move beyond simply reacting to failure and instead build stronger, more responsive services that genuinely put residents at their heart.

Interested to find out more?

We’re inviting social landlords to learn more about our research and will be posting more updates on the pilot of the tool soon.

If you are interested in carrying out a Complaints CultureScan of your organisation, please contact francesca.macey@campbelltickell.com or catherine.little@campbelltickell.com. 

Find out more about our consultancy support.