Citizen Housing

The Housing Ombudsman investigates complaints about social landlords. When it finds a landlord got things wrong, it makes a finding of "service failure", "maladministration" or, for the most serious failings, "severe maladministration". Its maladministration rate counts all three together. The findings below concern Citizen Housing Group Limited.^[1]

The 2025-26 performance report. The Ombudsman recorded a maladministration rate of 49.7% for Citizen — 79 of 159 findings counted.^[3] That compares with a national rate of 62%, and 52% for landlords of a similar size and type.^[3] The 66 cases decided in the year to 31 March 2026 produced 161 findings; two outside its jurisdiction or withdrawn are left out of the rate.^[3]

“The number of 'Mal' findings recorded for Citizen Housing Group Limited is 79, which gives the Maladministration rate of 49.7% (79 / 159).”^[3]

Housing Ombudsman Service, Landlord Performance Report 2025/2026 — Citizen Housing Group Limited (14 September 2026)

More cases for its size. The Ombudsman received 6.6 cases per 1,000 Citizen homes and made 2.4 maladministration findings per 1,000, against medians of 5.4 and 1.2 for landlords of a similar size and type.^[3]

Where the findings fell. Managing relations was the largest category, with 60 findings, followed by responsive repairs with 45. Each had one finding of severe maladministration. Complaint handling was the largest sub-category, with 52 findings, then condensation, damp and mould, with 13.^[3]

Orders and compensation. The Ombudsman made 172 orders and 42 recommendations. It made no complaint handling failure orders, which it makes when a landlord's complaint handling itself fails. All 172 orders due in the year were complied with within three months, its compliance table records.^[3] Compensation ordered or recommended totalled £23,578.^[3]

Earlier years. The report's restated figures count 20 Citizen cases decided in 2023-24 and 47 in 2024-25, when Citizen's rate was 60% and then 62%.^[3]

Individual decisions in 2025-26.

• December 2025 — severe maladministration. It "found the landlord responsible for severe maladministration in its handling of reports of multiple repairs at the property, including damp and mould". Citizen had known of the damp and mould since 2022. It ordered a director-level apology and £1,250.^[7]
• January 2026 — maladministration. In a leak case, damp and mould spread to four of the six rooms.^[8]
• August 2025 — reasonable redress. It found the £705 Citizen had offered over leaks put its failings right, provided it is paid.^[9]
• July 2025 — a mixed finding. It found no maladministration over reports of anti-social behaviour, though in the same case it found maladministration over damp and mould.^[10]

“We found the landlord responsible for severe maladministration in its handling of reports of multiple repairs at the property, including damp and mould.”^[7]

Housing Ombudsman Service, Citizen Housing Group Limited (202431874) — Housing Ombudsman decision (12 December 2025, 202431874)

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is the government body that checks social landlords meet required standards for safe, decent homes. It grades landlords in three ways, and on each scale 1 is the strongest:^[1]

• consumer (C1 to C4) — the homes and services tenants receive;
• governance (G1 to G4) — how well the landlord is run;
• viability (V1 to V4) — its finances.

Citizen's consumer grade is C1. In a judgement published on 27 August 2025, after an inspection completed that month, the regulator gave Citizen its first consumer grade: "Our judgement is that overall the landlord is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards."^[1]

What the inspection found. The regulator found Citizen provides an effective, efficient and timely repairs service, and has a plan to improve how quickly non-emergency repairs are done. It found a revised approach to complaints was having a positive effect, though its full benefits had yet to be realised.^[1]

Governance and viability. The regulator grades Citizen G1 for governance — "Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements."^[1] It grades viability V2: "It has the financial capacity to deal with a reasonable range of adverse scenarios but needs to manage material risks to ensure continued compliance."^[1] It said investment in existing homes, alongside building and selling new ones, reduces Citizen's capacity to respond to adverse events, and that it will keep monitoring its finances closely.^[1]

“Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements.”^[1]

Regulator of Social Housing (GOV.UK), Citizen Housing Group Limited (5075) - Regulatory Judgement: 27 August 2025 (27 August 2025)

“It has the financial capacity to deal with a reasonable range of adverse scenarios but needs to manage material risks to ensure continued compliance.”^[1]

Regulator of Social Housing (GOV.UK), Citizen Housing Group Limited (5075) - Regulatory Judgement: 27 August 2025 (27 August 2025)

What Citizen says. Citizen says the C1 grade reflects listening to customers and keeping homes safe, and that its V2 grade reflects decisions to invest in existing homes and build new ones.^[11] In its 2025-26 survey report it says it still needs to speed up non-emergency repairs and resolve complaints more consistently.^[4]

No regulatory notice. There is no regulatory notice — a formal published finding of a breach — currently in force against Citizen; the regulator's page for it lists only its judgement.^[12]

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, Citizen 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.^[13]

Safety checks. Citizen must also meet health and safety duties for its homes, such as gas and electrical safety checks.

Complaint handling. Citizen must handle complaints under the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code, through a two-stage process with set response times — the disrepair page explains how to use it.^[16]

Citizen's own repair timescales. Citizen publishes a target time for emergency repairs and another for routine repairs, which the disrepair page lists.^[19]

Where to report and complain. Report a repair to Citizen through My Account, its online customer portal, or by phone, and complain through the online form on its website.^[16][21]