Housing Ombudsman sets out lessons from root cause analysis to ‘inform responses to new issues’
Summary
The Housing Ombudsman has published an Insight report drawing lessons from root cause analysis of recurring service failings in landlord complaints. The report highlights common causes, examples of improvement, and how landlords can use complaint learning to strengthen service delivery and prepare for upcoming requirements such as Awaab’s Law and the new Decent Homes Standard.
Why it matters
For residential property surveyors, the report signals continued scrutiny of housing condition, repairs, and landlord governance, with implications for defect identification and service standards. It also points to future compliance pressures around decency, major works, and complaint handling that may affect stock condition assessments and remediation planning.
Key points
- The Ombudsman is focusing on root cause analysis to address repeated service failings.
- Common themes relate to policies, processes, systems, governance and oversight.
- The report is intended to help landlords improve complaint learning and service delivery.
- It references preparation for Awaab’s Law and the incoming Decent Homes Standard.
- Free CPD training on root cause analysis will be offered to member landlords from Autumn 2026.
This is an RPSA summary of a publicly available article. The full content remains with the original publisher.
