Barnet Council

The Housing Ombudsman is the independent body that investigates complaints about social landlords. When it finds a landlord got things wrong, it makes a finding of "maladministration" — or "severe maladministration" for the most serious failings, or "service failure" for a lesser one.

The 2025-26 performance report. The Ombudsman's landlord performance report for Barnet covers 31 cases decided — "determinations" — between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. Its maladministration rate counts service failure as well as maladministration: 59 of the 74 findings it counted — 1 severe maladministration, 38 maladministration and 20 service failure — a rate of 80%, against a national rate of 62% and 70% for landlords of a similar size and type.^[3]

What the findings were about. Responsive repairs was the largest category, with 37 findings counted and a 95% rate.^[3] Complaint handling was the largest single sub-category, with 23 findings.^[3] The Ombudsman made 122 orders, recorded £15,679 in compensation (ordered and recommended), and issued one complaint handling failure order.^[3] It records the council as complying with every order due in the year, 97% of them within three months.^[3]

The trend. The Ombudsman's figures put the council's rate at 58% across 15 determinations in 2023-24 (adjusted to compare with this year) and 78% across 20 in 2024-25.^[3] From October 2025 the Ombudsman started examining complaint handling in every case it investigated, which it says affects how this year's rates compare with previous years.^[6]

The severe finding. The year's one severe maladministration finding was under condensation, damp and mould.^[3] In a decision made on 31 July 2025, later featured in its October 2025 report on severe maladministration, the Ombudsman found the council "delayed dealing with damp and mould, despite children with asthma living in the home."^[7] It cancelled works, missed appointments and only chased repairs "when it was responding to a complaint." The damp and mould was first reported in November 2022, and the Ombudsman ordered £1,450 in further compensation, on top of £130 already offered.^[7]

Other damp and mould decisions. Decisions in June, October and November 2025 also found maladministration over damp, mould and leaks. In the November case, the council said it had sent a stage 2 complaint response but could not provide a copy.^[9][10][11]

What tenants say. In the tenant satisfaction measures the council reported for 2024/25, 62.8% of tenants said they were satisfied with the repairs service.^[4]

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is the government body that checks social landlords meet required standards for safe, decent homes. Since 2024 the RSH has been inspecting social landlords and giving each a consumer grade from C1 (the strongest) to C4.

Barnet's grade is C1. In a judgement published on 29 October 2025 — the first time the regulator had graded the council under the new consumer regime — the Regulator of Social Housing gave Barnet Council its strongest consumer grade, C1: "Our judgement is that overall the landlord is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards."^[1]

“Our judgement is that overall the landlord is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards.”^[1]

Regulator of Social Housing, London Borough of Barnet (00AC) - Regulatory Judgement: 29 October 2025 (29 October 2025)

What the judgement found. The regulator said the council "provided evidence that overall, it is delivering an effective repairs service", that "97% of its homes meet the Decent Homes Standard (DHS)", and that it "has demonstrated that it is taking all reasonable steps to comply with statutory health and safety requirements".^[1] It also found the council "addresses complaints fairly, promptly and effectively", and noted its stock is managed by its arm's-length company, Barnet Homes.^[1]

No regulatory notice in force. As at the date this page was last checked, the Regulator of Social Housing has no regulatory notice — a formal published finding of a breach — in force against Barnet; the C1 judgement is the only regulatory publication for the council.^[2] Regulatory grades are reviewed from time to time and may change — the date above is the one that matters.

A top grade beside adverse Ombudsman findings — how both can be true. Two things seem to pull in opposite directions: the regulator's strongest consumer grade, and the Housing Ombudsman's findings on Barnet, including a damp-and-mould case it found severe.^[1][3][7] Both are real, and they measure different things.

The regulator inspected the whole housing service — around 9,200 homes — and judged that, overall, it is delivering the required outcomes.^[1] The Housing Ombudsman only sees the individual disputes that reach it. When it looked at Barnet's, most of the findings it counted were maladministration or service failure, and in one case it found severe maladministration in the council's handling of damp and mould.^[3][7] A service judged to be working overall can still fail an individual home. If a reported problem is not being fixed, the C1 changes nothing about your rights: the council's complaints process, and after it the free Housing Ombudsman, are open whatever grade your landlord holds.

Whatever a landlord's track record, its legal duties are the same — and they are strong.

Repairs. Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Barnet Council 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 council tenancy and cannot be signed away in a tenancy agreement.

Fitness for human habitation. Under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, 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 to investigate hazards such as damp and mould and make homes safe — the disrepair page sets them out.^[13]

Safety checks. The council must carry out the statutory safety checks on your home, such as gas safety checks. The regulator found it is taking all reasonable steps to comply with statutory health and safety requirements.^[1]

Complaint handling. The council must run a complaints process that meets the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code. Barnet Homes runs a two-stage process on its behalf and says it follows the Code; the disrepair page explains how to use it.^[16]

Barnet's own repairs service — run by Barnet Homes. Day-to-day repairs in Barnet's council homes are carried out by Barnet Homes on the council's behalf; the council remains your landlord.^[1] Barnet Homes sorts repairs by priority and publishes target times for each — the disrepair page sets them out, along with how the service performed against them.^[17]

If the council misses these timescales after you have reported a problem, the disrepair page explains what you can do next.