Ombudsman sets out 4 tests of good communication to help landlords ‘avoid inadvertently stigmatising residents and rebuild trust’

24 April 2025

The Housing Ombudsman has released its monthly ‘learning from severe maladministration’ report, focusing on communications. The report forms part of its series relating to Awaab’s Law, helping landlords prepare for the new legislation in October.

The report identifies 4 key ingredients for effective communication which were absent in the cases examined:

timely
transparent
tailored
tone

Poor communication compounded what were already serious failings in responding to complaints about damp and mould. In one case, a landlord failed to act despite over 10 contacts from a resident and then prolonged the complaints process by 19 months. In another case, a resident for whom English is not her first language was left in damp and mould for 4 years with ongoing issues due to the language barrier, including the landlord not taking into account her health needs.

In a third case a resident struggled to get the landlord to respond to her complaints, with the landlord’s communication lacking empathy and internally referring to “this person” and bemoaning the number of requests for action.

The communication failings were present in both the service areas as well as complaints handling, and include poor internal communication and engagement with contractors and managing agents.

While the four Ts of good communication are lessons drawn from cases relating to damp and mould because of the proximity of Awaab’s Law, they could apply to all complaint categories.

Communications can often be a test of culture for an organisation, and this report from the Ombudsman comes a few months after a report from the G15 group of landlords found that residents reported the most common source of stigma was interactions with landlords, cited by 43% of respondents.

The landlords mentioned in this report are:

Estuary Housing
Islington Council
Lambeth Council
L&Q
Notting Hill Gensis
Redbridge Council
West Northamptonshire Council

Learning from severe maladministration report (PDF)

Learning from severe maladministration report – April 2025

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “I have witnessed the raw emotions of residents who have experienced poor communication. Poor communication is the most common concern I have heard expressed by residents at public events.

“What can appear to be technical failings make residents feel unheard, dismissed and stigmatised.

“Communication reflects the landlord’s culture and values. We know some landlords communicate well and most people working in social housing are committed and compassionate, but we also know communication failings can create a perception of the landlord being uncaring. Getting communication right will avoid inadvertently stigmatising residents and rebuild trust.

“With Awaab’s Law 6 months away, confident communication will be essential. Central to effective communication under Awaab’s Law is the anticipated written statement. This is an additional step compared to what many landlords presently do. We’re yet to see the final specifics, but last year’s consultation outlined a minimum standard and the 6 specifics proposed by the government were sensible.

“But landlords also need to think about their communication either side of the written statement.

“At its heart, poor communications during the complaints process can compound failings by a service area. Instead of providing an opportunity to regain the confidence of the resident that the landlord is listening and what it is doing to put things right, it can further undermine trust between resident and landlord.

“Given most residents will remain with the landlord, that is unsustainable, which is why I would urge complaints teams and the Member Responsible for Complaints to focus on what we see as the four Ts of good communication by their organisation.”