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
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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Third-party tools
Our website uses some third-party tools that may cause you accessibility issues.
Tooltips – These are small pop-up boxes that appear when you hover over certain words. They may be difficult to use with some assistive technologies or keyboard navigation.
ReachDeck – This is a toolbar that provides features such as text-to-speech and translation. The tool may not work well with all assistive technologies or browsers, even though developers designed it to improve accessibility.
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.
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.