Accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to the Housing Ombudsman Service website.

On this page

About this website

The Housing Ombudsman Service runs this website. We want it to work well for everyone. You should be able to: 

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings 
  • zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen 
  • navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software 
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver) 

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand. AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. 

Our commitment to you

We are committed to meeting accessibility standards and continually improving this website. 

We review accessibility regularly, build improvements into our development work, and act on feedback so our service stays inclusive and easy to use.  

Helpful Links

Using our Recite Me accessibility toolbar

You can use the Recite Me accessibility toolbar to change how our website looks, sounds, and reads, so it works better for you.

How to open the toolbar

You can open the Recite Me toolbar by clicking the Accessibility Tools icon on our website. Once open, the toolbar will appear at the top of the page and you can use it on any page of the site.

You can turn the toolbar off at any time by clicking the X button.

What the Recite Me toolbar can do

  • Listen to our content

    You can have the website read out loud to you:

    • play, pause, rewind, or skip through the text on a page
    • download selected text as an audio file to listen to later
  • Change text size and font

    You can make text easier to read by:

    • increasing or decreasing the text size
    • changing the font style
    • adjusting spacing between lines and letters
  • Change colours and page appearance

    You can change how the website looks by:

    • adjusting background, text, and link colours
    • using a reading ruler or screen mask to help you focus
    • removing images and designing the page in text‑only mode
  • Help with understanding text

    You can use tools to make communication clearer:

    • highlight a word to see a definition
    • use the page summariser to focus on key information
  • Translate the website

    You can translate the website into a different language and, if needed, listen to the translated text being read aloud. Please note that translations are provided automatically and may not always be completely accurate.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The law requires public sector websites to meet accessibility standards. This is set out in the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. 

The regulations require compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard. 

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard. This is due to the non-compliances’ listed below. 

Accessibility non-compliance

  • Live chat

    Our live chat is not fully accessible. It may be difficult to use with screen readers and other assistive technologies.  

    If you cannot use the live chat, you can contact us by phone, and we will help you. 

  • Online complaint form

    Our online form uses dynamic questions, which means the pages and questions change based on your answers. This can make the form harder to use. 

    If you find the form difficult to use, get in touch. We can help you provide the information in another way. 

  • Documents on our website

    Some documents on this website are not fully accessible. These include older PDFs and files published before 2026.  

    We will not be updating these historic documents. From 1 January 2026, we will aim to only publish documents that meet accessibility requirements. 

  • Website filters

    Some filters on our website may be difficult to use with assistive technologies. 

    News page – The 'select month' filter may be difficult for screen readers or keyboard navigation users. 

    Decision page – The filters on this page lack clear structure, which may make them difficult to understand and use. 

    If you have difficulty because of these issues, please get in touch and we can help you. 

  • Third-party tools

    Our website uses some third-party tools that may cause you accessibility issues. 

    reCAPTCHAs – These are security checks used to confirm you are not a robot. They can be difficult to complete for people with visual, cognitive, or motor impairments. 

    We do not have full control over how these tools work. If you have difficulty using any part of our website because of these tools, please get in touch and we will help you complete your task another way. 

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other documents

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.  

Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards. 

Live video

We do not plan to use live video. If we do, will not add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. 

Accessibility commitment

We are committed to continually improving the accessibility of our digital services. This is a big part of our current 5‑year Corporate Strategy.

We are commited to develop digital, data, and technology that:

  • drives efficiency
  • supports scalability
  • ensures compliance
  • meets diverse customer needs

In line with this strategic aim, we are reviewing our full digital offer and planning a programme of work to modernise our website and associated online services.

Corporate Strategy 2025-30 (PDF)

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 5 February 2026. It was last reviewed on 18 March 2024. 

This website was last tested in November 2025 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. 

The test was carried out by Civic Computing. The most viewed pages were tested using automated testing tools by our website team. A further audit of the website was carried out to the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. 

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).  

Feedback and contact information

Provide feedback on the accessibility of this website

We want to keep improving this website.

You can report any problems with the website using the feedback form at the bottom of each page. Use it if you find any problems not listed on this accessibility statment or think we're not meeting our requirements. 

You can also email: website@housing-ombudsman.org.uk

Alternatively, you can contact us via phone on 0300 111 3000 to discuss any additional support needs you may require. 

 

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