Annual complaints and service improvement report for the Housing Management service
Learn more about complaints and service improvement in Housing Management.
2025 to 2026
Read the report
Annual housing complaints handling report 2025 to 2026
Read our statement
Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code: statement by Cllr Gill Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing and Member Responsible for Complaints
As Cabinet Member for Housing and the Member Responsible for Complaints, I am pleased to provide this statement following Cabinet’s consideration of our housing complaints performance and annual self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.
Cabinet, acting as the council’s governing body for this purpose, considered the self-assessment as part of the Housing in Brighton & Hove Annual Report for 2025 2026. Cabinet approved the annual report for publication and distribution to tenants and leaseholders. The report brings together information about complaints, resident experience and wider landlord performance, so residents can see more clearly where services are improving and where further work is needed.
I have reviewed the BHCC Self-Assessment 2025 to 2026. The self-assessment records compliance with the requirements of the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code, including making it easy for residents to complain, operating a two-stage complaints process, responding within the Code’s timescales, putting things right and learning from complaints.
The report provides an open account of our performance. During 2025 to 2026, we received 1,012 Stage 1 complaints and 195 Stage 2 complaints. We responded to 77.2% of Stage 1 complaints and 81.5% of Stage 2 complaints within the timescales set by the Housing Ombudsman.
We recognise that residents do not always receive the service they should. Only 28.3% of tenants who responded to the annual survey were satisfied with how we handle complaints. This was an improvement from 26.2% in the previous year, but it remains too low and shows that further improvement is needed.
The recently published Housing Ombudsman performance information provides some evidence of progress. The council’s maladministration rate for 2025 to 2026 was 57%, compared with 84% in the previous year. It was also lower than the 70% reported for landlords of a similar size and type. We welcome this improvement, while recognising that every finding of maladministration represents an occasion when a resident did not receive the service they should have received.
We will use complaints and Housing Ombudsman decisions to understand where things have gone wrong, put matters right for individual residents and identify wider changes needed across our services. The self-assessment confirms that complaint trends and learning are reported to senior managers and members, with improvement actions monitored through the council’s governance arrangements.
Our priorities include improving the timeliness and quality of responses, strengthening ownership of complaints, communicating more clearly with residents and making sure learning leads to visible service improvements. Complaints handling and support for residents affected by anti-social behaviour remain key areas for improvement in 2026 to 2027.
Cabinet minutes
Read the agenda and decisions from Cabinet on Thursday, 17 September 2026 at 10.30am.