Member Responsible for Complaints (MRC)
The Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code requires landlords to appoint a Member Responsible for Complaints (MRC) on its governing body. The MRC plays a key role in complaints management by providing assurance to the governing body on the effectiveness of the landlord’s complaints process. This includes taking responsibility for overseeing complaint performance, analysing trends and outcomes, and presenting findings to the board or equivalent body.
On this page
What is the MRC?
The Member Responsible for Complaints (MRC)
is a designated member of the landlord's governing body with lead responsibility for overseeing complaints handling performance and ensuring accountability across the organisation.
The MRC plays a key part in making sure the landlord:
- handles complaints effectively and fairly
- learns from complaints to improve services
- maintains transparency and accountability in how complaints are managed
- supports a positive complaints culture within the organisation
Role on the governing body
The MRC provides assurance to the governing body on the effectiveness of the complaints process. They present findings from complaint performance analysis to the board or equivalent body. This includes scrutinising performance data to identify trends and themes and making recommendations to improve service delivery or address ineffective practice.
The MRC is ultimately responsible for driving a better service for residents. They make sure learning from complaints informs decision-making and improvement across the organisation.
Appointing a Member Responsible for Complaints
The MRC must be a member of the governing body:
- for housing associations, this is typically a board member
- for local authorities, it is a lead member or a councillor with cabinet oversight for housing
To remain impartial, the MRC should not be involved in the operational handling or reporting of complaints.
Landlords may choose to appoint more than one MRC. For example:
- a senior executive may oversee operational complaints
- a board member may be designated to hold the organisation to account on complaints performance
We recognise the variety of landlord types within the Scheme. For some smaller landlords, it may not be possible to appoint someone who is separate from day-to-day complaint handling. In this case, we ask that the appointed MRC maintains objectivity between their day-to-day role and their oversight of performance.
Statutory requirement
The MRC is critical in making sure the governing body receives regular, meaningful information on complaint handling performance. This helps the board or governing body understand how effectively complaints are being managed and whether the organisation is learning from them. It makes sure change is happening and that residents' voices are being heard.
The requirement to appoint an MRC is set out in our Complaint Handling Code, which has been a statutory requirement since 1 April 2024.
Assurance, data and information the MRC can use
Explore where MRCs can access information and seek assurance from operational teams to present findings to the board. This includes performance data, team insights, policy documents, self-assessments, and learning from complaints.
Assurance and information to carry out the role of MRC
Videos about the role
What are we looking for in an MRC?
The role should encourage a culture of effective learning across the organisation, where operational teams collaborate to improve service delivery.
Why is the role so important?
A positive complaint handling culture is essential, and the MRC plays a central part in creating it. The MRC make sure that senior management regularly review issues and trends arising from complaint handling. Themes or trends are assessed and reported to the governing body to identify potential systemic issues, serious risks, or policies and procedures that need updating.
How can the MRC drive a positive complaints culture?
The MRC makes sure the voice of the residents is heard through complaints. This can alert the governing body to concerns about how complaints are being handled and the issues giving rise to them. This helps the governing body understand its responsibility and ensures complaints are given the priority they deserve.
How involved should the MRC be in the self-assessment?
The self-assessment is the MRCs key tool for making sure the landlord is meeting its obligations under the Code. Landlords have used self-assessment in many ways to analyse complaint handling performance, including involving residents. It’s important that the MRC sees the evidence behind the answers in the self-assessment. The MRC can also support the chair of the board in facilitating subsequent discussion.
MRC resources
Centre for Learning
We provide a wide range of learning through our Centre for Learning.
There is also a landlord forum where you can network with other MRCs. When you sign up as an MRC, we'll add you to an exclusive MRC newsletter with the latest updates, learning, and events.
Podcasts
Season 3, episode 3 – Member Responsible for Complaints
We spoke to Andrea Keenoy, Chief Operating Officer at the Housing Ombudsman Service, about the MRC role and the difference it can make to organisations.