Accent

The Housing Ombudsman investigates complaints about social landlords. It records failings as "service failure", "maladministration" or — the most serious — "severe maladministration", and its maladministration rate counts all three.

The 2025-26 performance report. The report counts 30 Accent cases decided in the year to 31 March 2026, leaving out those outside its jurisdiction or withdrawn. It recorded a maladministration rate of 67.1% — 49 of 73 findings. The national rate was 62%, and 52% for landlords of a similar size and type.^[1] One finding was severe maladministration.^[1] That is down from 82% in 2024-25, across 39 cases; in 2023-24 it was 54%, across 15, on figures since adjusted.^[1]

“The number of 'Mal' findings recorded for Accent Group Limited is 49, which gives the Maladministration rate of 67.1% (49 / 73).”^[1]

Housing Ombudsman Service, Landlord Performance Report 2025/2026 – Accent Group Limited (15 September 2026)

What the complaints were about. Most findings concerned managing relations with residents, which includes complaint handling (28 findings), or responsive repairs (25). On repairs, Accent's rate was 80%, against 72% nationally.^[1] Condensation, damp and mould accounted for 7 findings.^[1]

Orders and compensation. The Ombudsman made 96 orders and 21 recommendations, and records all 96 due in the year as met within three months. It recorded £17,461 in compensation, ordered and recommended combined.^[1] It also made one complaint handling failure order — an order it issues when a landlord has not followed its complaint-handling rules.^[1]

The year's one severe finding. In June 2025 the Ombudsman found "severe maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of leaks, damp and mould and the associated repairs" at a shared owner's flat.^[7] It ordered a written apology from a senior member of staff, £750 in compensation — including a sum Accent had already offered — and a management review of its repairs and complaint handling in the case.^[7]

“In accordance with paragraph 52 of the Scheme there was severe maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of leaks, damp and mould and the associated repairs.”^[7]

Housing Ombudsman Service, Accent Housing Limited (202328246) — Housing Ombudsman decision (23 June 2025, 202328246)

What Accent says it is doing. Accent's improvement plan, shared in April 2026 and updated in August, reports that it has introduced tracking so tenants can see when a contractor is coming, plus extra complaint-handling training and call-backs.^[8] It reports answering 88.9% of Stage 1 complaints from its rented homes within the Ombudsman's code timescale in 2025-26, up from 52.9% the year before.^[4]

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is the government body that checks social landlords meet required standards. It grades landlords on three scales, where the lowest number is the strongest grade:

• governance (G1 to G4) — how well a landlord is run;
• financial viability (V1 to V4);
• consumer standards (C1 to C4) — the homes and services tenants actually get.

Accent holds the top grades for governance and viability. In its most recent judgement, published on 12 November 2025, the regulator graded Accent G1 for governance: "Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements."^[2] It graded Accent V1 for viability: "Our judgement is that the landlord meets our viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with a wide range of adverse scenarios."^[2] It said Accent has a strong financial profile.^[2] The judgement records that the regulator gave the same two grades in December 2024.^[2]

“Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements.”^[2]

Regulator of Social Housing (GOV.UK), Accent Group Limited (L4511) - Regulatory Judgement: 12 November 2025 (12 November 2025)

“Our judgement is that the landlord meets our viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with a wide range of adverse scenarios.”^[2]

Regulator of Social Housing (GOV.UK), Accent Group Limited (L4511) - Regulatory Judgement: 12 November 2025 (12 November 2025)

No consumer grade yet. That judgement followed a stability check of Accent's governance and finances. It did not assess Accent against the consumer standards, and the regulator lists its consumer grade as not yet assessed.^[2] That is an assessment that has not happened, not a finding either way. A governance grade measures how the organisation is run, not the condition of tenants' homes.

No regulatory notice. Separately from these grades, there is no regulatory notice — a formal published finding of a breach — in force against Accent Group Limited, and the regulator's page for it lists only its judgements.^[3]

A housing association's repair duties are just as strong as a council's — and they do not depend on its track record.

Repairs. Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Accent must keep the structure and exterior of your home in repair — the roof, walls, windows and doors — and keep the installations for heating, hot water, gas, electricity, water and sanitation in proper working order. This applies to almost every tenancy and cannot be signed away in a tenancy agreement.

Fitness for human habitation. Under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (section 9A of the 1985 Act), your home must also be fit to live in — free from serious hazards, including damp and mould that could harm your health.

Awaab's Law. Awaab's Law now sets legally binding timescales for social landlords, housing associations included, to investigate hazards such as damp and mould and make homes safe — the disrepair page sets them out.^[10]

Safety checks. Accent must also meet health and safety duties for the homes it rents out, such as gas safety checks.

Accent's own repair timescales. Accent publishes target times for emergency and routine repairs, which the disrepair page lists.^[13]

Where to report a repair. Report a repair on Accent's repairs page (opens in new tab) or by phone to its Technical Hub.^[13]

Complaint handling. Accent must handle complaints under the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code, through its two-stage complaints process (opens in new tab) — the disrepair page sets out how to use it.^[14]