Housing Ombudsman Compensation: What Amounts Are Published?
Driscoll Kingston & Co Limited · 20 September 2026 · 6 min read
What are the Housing Ombudsman's compensation bands?
The Housing Ombudsman Service investigates complaints about social landlords in England once the landlord's own complaints procedure has finished. Its guidance on remedies contains a table of financial redress. The Ombudsman states that the table reflects the remedy for each finding, not the total amount for the case, because it may make more than one finding.
| Level of redress | Likely finding | Impact on the resident |
|---|---|---|
| £50 to £100 | Service failure | Minimal impact, short duration; may not have significantly affected the overall outcome for the resident. |
| £100 to £600 | Maladministration | No permanent impact, but a failure that adversely affected the resident. |
| £600 to £1,000 | Maladministration or severe maladministration | Significant impact, including physical and/or emotional impact; the redress needed to put things right is substantial. |
| £1,000 and above | Severe maladministration | Severe long-term impact from serious failings by the landlord, with a seriously detrimental effect on the resident. |
Source: Housing Ombudsman, guidance on remedies (Annex A). Bands are guidance and can change; check the current version before relying on them.
How does the Ombudsman decide the amount?
The guidance says the remedy should, as far as possible, put the resident back in the position they would have been in without the failure. For repairs complaints it says a starting point may be the rent paid over the period covered by the complaint, and that an award equivalent to a full or partial rent refund may be considered depending on the impact on the resident's use and enjoyment of the home. The Ombudsman says it will summarise how it reached the figure so both sides understand the basis.
Is it the same as court compensation?
No. The Ombudsman says it does not make binding decisions on negligence, liability or discrimination and does not order compensation in the way a court orders damages. It also says it does not award redress for damage to items that should be covered by insurance. A county-court disrepair claim can address breach of repairing obligations, damage to belongings and injury, and the routes have different costs and risks. Read Housing Ombudsman or court for disrepair before choosing, and note that an Ombudsman complaint does not stop the limitation clock (see time limits).
Who can use the Ombudsman?
The Ombudsman covers social landlords in England, such as councils and housing associations, and some other landlords who are members. It is not a route against most private landlords; see private landlord disrepair claims. Complaints normally go through the landlord's own procedure first; the full process is explained in our Housing Ombudsman complaints guide.
What evidence supports a higher band?
Because the bands turn on impact, record how the problem affected you: dates of each report and reply, photographs, how long the defect lasted, effects on health or use of rooms, and any medical evidence. Our guides on disrepair evidence and medical evidence explain what to keep. Where the landlord is covered by Awaab's Law, missed deadlines are relevant to the complaint; see the Awaab's Law timetable.
This article provides general legal information only. It does not constitute legal advice on any specific case. Awaab's Law Claims Specialists is a trading name of Driscoll Kingston & Co Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA No. 839699).