Updated August 2026. The Renters’ Rights Act creates a new Landlord Ombudsman for England — and every private landlord will have to belong to it. Here’s what it can do, how complaints will work, and how to prepare.
Under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, a new Landlord Ombudsman will handle disputes between tenants and landlords in England. Membership will be compulsory for every private landlord, and the ombudsman will have real teeth — including the power to award compensation and require landlords to put things right. This guide explains what the ombudsman is, what it can and can’t do, how a complaint will run, and how to prepare. For the rollout timeline, see our guide to when the PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman arrive.
Note: the ombudsman is created by the Act, but much of the operational detail — exact powers, fees, timescales and the launch date — is being set by secondary legislation. Figures below are indicative; we’ll update as they’re confirmed.
What is the Landlord Ombudsman?
The Landlord Ombudsman is a new, independent dispute-resolution body created by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. It gives tenants a free, formal route to challenge landlord conduct without going to court — and it gives landlords a way to resolve disputes before they escalate to possession claims or tribunal hearings. It sits alongside the new PRS Database: the database registers landlords, the ombudsman polices their conduct.
The model is borrowed from other regulated sectors. The Financial Ombudsman Service has handled disputes between consumers and financial firms for over two decades; the Property Ombudsman and the Property Redress Scheme do the same for estate and letting agents. The Landlord Ombudsman extends that principle to landlords themselves — making them directly accountable to an independent body, rather than relying on tenants to pursue claims through the courts, which most never do. That’s the real significance: today a tenant with a legitimate complaint must either go to court (expensive and slow), complain to the council (patchy), or put up with it — and most put up with it. A free, fast route with binding outcomes changes that.
What the ombudsman can do
- Investigate complaints about landlord conduct — repairs, damp and mould, harassment, communication failures.
- Order remedies — including compensation awards and orders to carry out repairs or apologise.
- Require compliance with its decisions, with consequences (including possible expulsion and enforcement) for landlords who don’t.
- Feed into enforcement — serious or repeated failures can be shared with councils and reflected in the wider enforcement regime.
The compensation powers are the headline. Ombudsman schemes of this kind typically award for distress and inconvenience, not just financial loss — so a tenant left with a leaking roof for months, or ignored for weeks, could be compensated for the experience itself, not only the repair cost. Reports of the scheme suggest awards of up to around £25,000 per complaint, though the exact cap is being confirmed. For landlords, the message is that ignoring a problem becomes a cost in its own right.
What it can’t do
- It won’t handle possession claims — those stay with the courts on the Section 8 grounds.
- It won’t set or challenge rent levels — rent increases go to the First-tier Tribunal.
- It won’t decide deposit protection and return disputes — those stay with the deposit protection schemes and their adjudication, though a complaint about a landlord’s conduct around a deposit (for example unfair or poorly handled deductions) could still reach the ombudsman.
- It won’t act as a court — its decisions bind landlords, but tenants can still pursue legal routes for serious matters.
Knowing the boundaries tells you which disputes are heading your way. Rent arrears and possession are court matters; rent increases are tribunal matters; deposit deductions are scheme matters. What’s left — and what the ombudsman focuses on — is the conduct of the tenancy: repairs, maintenance, communication, harassment and the general standard of service. That’s a big slice of the disputes landlords actually face, and the slice that has historically been hardest for tenants to pursue.
How a complaint will work
How a complaint will work
Tenant complains to you first
You get a chance to resolve it (a set period)
If unresolved, tenant escalates (free)
Evidence-based investigation
Binding decision, then enforcement if ignored
The “complain to the landlord first” step is deliberate, and it’s your best defence. Ombudsman schemes across every sector find that a large share of complaints are resolved at this stage — the tenant raises the issue, the landlord responds properly, and the matter ends there. A landlord who responds promptly, documents their actions and genuinely tries to resolve the issue is very hard to complain against successfully. The investigation itself is evidence-based, not adversarial: no hearing, no legal representation required. The ombudsman reads the paperwork from both sides and decides — which is exactly why the quality of your records is decisive.
What it means for you
- Membership is compulsory. You’ll need to belong to the scheme to let in England, expected to be tied to registration on the PRS Database — and to pay a membership fee.
- Paper trails matter more than ever. Keep repair requests, inspection records, gas and EICR certificates, and a dated communication log.
- Resolve complaints early. A complaint that reaches the ombudsman costs time, money and reputation. A prompt, documented response is the cheapest risk management you can buy.
The membership fee is worth planning for. The government’s impact assessment points to a modest annual fee per landlord — the exact figure is still being confirmed, but the principle mirrors the PRS Database: cost recovery, not revenue raising. For most landlords it will be small next to the cost of a single upheld complaint. The publication power is also worth watching: the ombudsman is expected to be able to publish findings in serious or repeated cases, which over time could affect how prospective tenants and agents view a landlord — a reputational risk, not just a financial one. Exactly how publication will work is still to be confirmed.
How to prepare now
- Set up a complaints process. A simple, documented route for tenants to raise issues, with a written response within a set timeframe (say five working days).
- Audit your compliance paperwork. Gas safety, EICR, EPC, smoke and CO alarms, deposit protection — the ombudsman will ask for them. Our start-of-tenancy checklist covers the set.
- Keep a communication log. Date-stamped records of every tenant contact about repairs or issues.
- Watch for the launch date. The scheme is expected to go live in phases; we’ll update this guide as dates are confirmed.
A complaints process doesn’t need to be elaborate — an email address, a promise to respond within a few working days, and a template for logging issues is enough. The key is consistency: tenants who get a prompt, written response to every issue rarely escalate; tenants who are ignored always do, and the ombudsman will see that they were ignored.
Ombudsman vs the courts and tribunal
| Landlord Ombudsman | First-tier Tribunal | County Court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to tenant | Free | Free / low fee | Fees apply |
| Typical timescale | Months (indicative) | 6–12 months | 12–18 months |
| Legal representation | Not required | Not required | Common |
| Deals with | Conduct, repairs, service | Rent, standards | Money claims, possession |
| Binding on landlord | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The ombudsman is positioned as the fastest, cheapest route for conduct disputes. For a tenant with a leaking roof and an unresponsive landlord, it’s the only route that is free, quick and needs no legal knowledge — which is why the government expects it to be widely used, and why landlords should take it seriously.
What it means if you use a letting agent
If you use a letting agent, the ombudsman adds a layer of accountability — but it doesn’t move the buck. Your agent’s conduct is treated as your conduct: if the agent fails to arrange a repair, the complaint can be made against you as the landlord, and “the agent was supposed to handle it” won’t be a defence. Agents already belong to their own redress scheme (the Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme), so a tenant could complain about the agent to that scheme and about you to the Landlord Ombudsman in parallel. The practical takeaway: audit your agent like a contractor — get evidence that inspections happened, repairs were ordered and certificates are current — and make sure your management agreement clearly allocates responsibility.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Landlord Ombudsman compulsory?
Yes. Every private landlord in England will have to belong to the ombudsman scheme to let property, and membership is expected to be tied to registration on the PRS Database.
What can the ombudsman order?
It can award compensation to tenants (including for distress and inconvenience), order repairs or an apology, and require compliance with its decisions, with consequences for landlords who don’t. Serious or repeated findings may be published.
Can a tenant complain about a rent increase to the ombudsman?
No. Rent increases are challenged at the First-tier Tribunal, not the ombudsman. The ombudsman deals with landlord conduct — repairs, harassment, communication — not rent levels.
Does the ombudsman replace the courts?
No. Possession claims and serious legal disputes still go to court. The ombudsman is an alternative for conduct disputes — faster and free for tenants.
Can a tenant complain about me if I use a letting agent?
Yes. The landlord remains responsible for the conduct of the tenancy even where an agent manages the property, so a complaint can still be made against you — which is why it pays to hold your agent to account in writing.
When does the Landlord Ombudsman launch?
Mandatory membership is expected around 2028, after the PRS Database rolls out from late 2026, with the detail set by secondary legislation. See our guide to when the PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman arrive.
Related guides
- The Renters’ Rights Act: a complete guide for UK landlords
- When the PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman arrive
- Deposit protection schemes — a UK landlord’s guide
- How to handle disputes over rental property damages
Written by the Landlords Portal team — experienced UK landlords covering the private rented sector. This article is general information, not legal advice; the ombudsman’s exact powers and timescales are being set by secondary legislation, so check the current position before relying on a specific detail.
