Landlord Ombudsman

What is the Landlord Ombudsman?

The Landlord Ombudsman is a new mandatory redress scheme for private landlords in England, introduced by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. It will provide tenants with a free, independent way to resolve complaints about their landlord without going to court. All private landlords must join.

Until now, if you had a complaint about your landlord (rather than your letting agent), your options were limited to reporting them to the local council or taking them to court, both of which are slow and can be intimidating. The Landlord Ombudsman changes this by providing a free, accessible complaints route that doesn't require legal representation.

The Ombudsman will accept complaints from current, prospective, and former tenants on issues including disrepair and maintenance failures, poor communication, unlawful fees, failure to comply with statutory obligations, and general poor management. The service is free for tenants, and the Ombudsman can order the landlord to apologise, pay compensation, or take specific action to resolve the issue.

Every private landlord in England must join the Ombudsman scheme before they can legally let a property. Failure to join can result in civil penalties of up to £7,000, rising to £40,000 for repeat offences.

The scheme is expected to become operational alongside the PRS Database in late 2026 or 2027.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Landlord Ombudsman the same as the Property Ombudsman?

No, the Property Ombudsman handles complaints about letting agents and property management companies. The Landlord Ombudsman handles complaints about landlords directly. They're separate bodies.