Compensation by repair problem
How often the Ombudsman found a landlord at fault over each kind of repair, and what it ordered the landlord to pay. A case can cover more than one problem.
| Problem | Cases | Typical | One in four over | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damp and mould | 953 | £750 | £1,300 | £12,340 |
| Leaks and water | 583 | £850 | £1,250 | £12,340 |
| Other repairs | 570 | £600 | £1,000 | £5,310 |
| Structure and roof | 373 | £700 | £1,150 | £5,000 |
| Windows and doors | 293 | £600 | £1,150 | £5,000 |
| Lifts, shared areas and drains | 236 | £450 | £815 | £3,000 |
| Heating and hot water | 182 | £600 | £1,000 | £6,725 |
| Pests | 136 | £650 | £1,050 | £3,100 |
| Electrics | 46 | £600 | £1,000 | £2,402 |
Compensation by finding
The Ombudsman’s findings, from most to least serious, and what it ordered for each.
| Finding | Cases | Typical | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe maladministration | 200 | £1,975 | £12,340 |
| Maladministration | 1,669 | £650 | £6,725 |
| Service failure | 496 | £275 | £11,098 |
The biggest awards
- L&Q: how it handled reports of leaks and associated damp and mould. Read the decisionSevere maladministration
£12,340 ordered - Amplius: how it handled reports of outstanding external repairs and damp and mould. Read the decisionService failure
£11,098 ordered - Sanctuary Housing: how it handled repair requests and associated damp. Read the decisionSevere maladministration
£6,890 ordered - Newlon Housing Trust: how it handled reports of heating and hot water issues. Read the decisionMaladministration
£6,725 ordered - Peabody: how it handled a leak into property from a property above. Read the decisionSevere maladministration
£5,532 ordered - Orbit: how it handled reports about repairs needed to her home. Read the decisionSevere maladministration
£5,310 ordered - Torus: how it handled repairs to the wet room. Read the decisionMaladministration
£5,300 ordered - L&Q: how it handled reports of damp and mould. Read the decisionMaladministration
£5,285 ordered - Home Group: how it handled repair reports for the windows, bathroom, landing, kitchen, utility room, main bedroom. Read the decisionSevere maladministration
£5,000 ordered - Stonewater: how it handled reports of a roof leak and subsequent damp and mould. Read the decisionSevere maladministration
£4,985 ordered - Sanctuary Housing: how it handled its response to reports of damp and mould. Read the decisionMaladministration
£4,975 ordered - A2Dominion: how it handled reports of damp and mould. Read the decisionSevere maladministration
£4,960 ordered - Bolton at Home: how it handled reports of various repairs, including leaks. Read the decisionSevere maladministration
£4,852 ordered - Sanctuary Housing: how it handled damp repairs. Read the decisionService failure
£4,737 ordered - Southern Housing: how it handled reports of a leak and associated damp and mould. Read the decisionSevere maladministration
£4,564 ordered
Landlords found at fault most often
Councils and housing associations with the most repair decisions against them, and the compensation ordered in total.
| Landlord | Cases | Total ordered | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| L&Q | 201 | £188,426 | £12,340 |
| Clarion Housing | 103 | £86,152 | £3,818 |
| Lambeth Council | 89 | £81,424 | £3,109 |
| Southern Housing | 81 | £68,197 | £4,564 |
| Sanctuary Housing | 80 | £83,063 | £6,890 |
| Notting Hill Genesis | 73 | £60,033 | £2,841 |
| Peabody | 72 | £78,484 | £5,532 |
| Sovereign Network Group | 70 | £61,339 | £3,756 |
| Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing | 55 | £40,029 | £2,500 |
| A2Dominion | 49 | £42,114 | £4,960 |
| Lewisham Council | 47 | £35,486 | £2,561 |
| Camden Council | 46 | £38,100 | £3,900 |
| Southwark Council | 46 | £28,000 | £2,160 |
| Places for People | 40 | £39,569 | £3,026 |
| Hyde | 36 | £20,325 | £3,000 |
| Stonewater | 34 | £26,440 | £4,985 |
| The Guinness Partnership | 34 | £25,757 | £2,900 |
| PA Housing | 31 | £28,212 | £3,150 |
| GreenSquareAccord | 31 | £22,898 | £2,589 |
| Home Group | 28 | £32,318 | £5,000 |
If your landlord hasn’t fixed a repair
You can complain to your landlord, and then to the Housing Ombudsman, yourself for free. The Ombudsman can order your landlord to put things right and pay compensation for how it handled your complaint.
A disrepair claim is different: a law firm takes up your landlord’s failure to repair, asking for the work to be done and for compensation, usually worked out as a share of the rent you paid while it wasn’t fixed. You can complain and claim at the same time.
Questions
How much compensation does the Housing Ombudsman award for damp and mould?
In the 953 decisions from Jan 2025 to Sep 2026 where it found a council or housing association at fault over damp and mould, the Ombudsman ordered £750 in a typical case. One in four awards was £1,300 or more, and the highest was £12,340.
How much does the Housing Ombudsman award for repairs?
Across 2365 repair decisions with a fault finding from Jan 2025 to Sep 2026, the typical award was £640, one in four was £1,100 or more, and the highest was £12,340.
Is Ombudsman compensation the same as a disrepair claim?
No. The Ombudsman deals with complaints and orders compensation for how a landlord handled things. A disrepair claim is a separate legal claim, made through a law firm, for the landlord’s breach of its repairing duties. You can complain to the Ombudsman yourself for free.
How do I complain to the Housing Ombudsman?
Complain to your landlord first and go through its complaints process. If you’re still unhappy, or it doesn’t reply in time, you can take your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman for free.
How we worked this out
We read every decision the Housing Ombudsman publishes with a 2024 or later case reference (4,048 decisions, Jan 2025 to Sep 2026). We counted a case when the Ombudsman found severe maladministration, maladministration or service failure about a repair, and sorted it by problem from the Ombudsman’s own description of the complaint. Where a decision page has no date, we use the date the Ombudsman published it. The amount is the total compensation the Ombudsman ordered in that decision (including any the landlord had offered but not yet paid), which can include amounts for other parts of the complaint. “Typical” is the middle (median) award among cases where the Ombudsman ordered compensation, and “one in four over” is the upper quartile. Figures are compensation the Ombudsman ordered on a complaint, not the amount of a court claim. Updated 10 October 2026.
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