Spotlight report on complaints about heating, hot water, and energy in social housing
This page provides a summary of the report. To read the report in full and view our recommendations, please download the PDF.
Published in February 2021
On this page
Report summary
Living in a warm, safe, and decent home is a fundamental right. It is critical to our health and wellbeing. When there is a loss of heating or hot water at home, the impact is significant on the household. This is especially the case with young children, elderly, or vulnerable residents.
This report offers lessons for all social landlords following more than 200 investigations.
Focus of the report
This report focuses on:
- heating and hot water
- gas safety
- complaint handling
- energy efficiency and innovation
We focused on complaints investigated in the 18 months from April 2019 to September 2020.
The case studies show the range of problems residents face, landlords’ responses, and our findings.
Landlords should use the learning from these cases to improve services and complaint handling.
Helpful Links
The full Spotlight report
This page provides a summary of the report. To read the report in full and view our recommendations, please download the PDF.
Spotlight report on complaints about heating, hot water, and energy (PDF)
Further learning on hazards
Hazards
Explore our casework on health and safety hazards in social housing.
These include damp, mould, excess cold, and fire risks. Find out what landlords can do to improve safety and learn from complaints
Awaab’s Law and hazards training on the Learning Hub
Our training gives you the skills to manage damp, mould, and other hazards effectively. This will protect homes and build trust with residents.
You’ll learn how to:
- identify the causes of damp and mould and apply best practice solutions
- handle complaints fairly and resolve issues quickly using clear steps
- improve processes by learning from real cases and prevent repeat problems