The Housing Ombudsman Service piloted a Tenancy Deposit Scheme for the private rented sector in England, which provided free and impartial dispute-resolution assistance to the participating landlords, agents, and tenants. When the pilot ended the Housing Ombudsman did not transfer that function to any other organisation. The Service continues to deal with tenancy deposit disputes involving bodies in its jurisdiction, but we cannot adjudicate disputes involving other landlords or agents.
The Housing Act 2004 introduced provisions for the protection of tenancy deposits in England and Wales. The government has appointed the administrators to run protection schemes from 6 April 2007 [click here for full details]. The Housing Ombudsman is not connected with these administrators, and is not involved with any other body providing dispute resolution for tenancy deposits.
If you are a tenant and would like to know if we can deal with your dispute with your landlord, please go to the main website of the Housing Ombudsman Service. There you can check if your landlord is in our jurisdiction.
If you are a private landlord and would like to know more about becoming a member of the Housing Ombudsman Service, there is information in the Voluntary Members section of the main website, or contact us using the details below. Please note that joining our Service does not exempt you from having to meet your obligations about protecting tenancy deposits as prescribed by the law, even though we can help with disputes about deposits and a much wider range of problems between landlords and tenants. We are happy to answer any questions about membership of the Service.
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