City of London Corporation

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.

The 2024-25 numbers are small. The Ombudsman's performance report for the Corporation covers 5 cases decided between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, with 12 findings between them.^[1] It upheld 9 of the 12 findings as maladministration — a rate of 75.0%, against a national rate of 71% (and 77% for landlords of a similar size and type).^[1] None was severe maladministration.^[1] On a base this small, one case moves the rate a long way — read the percentage next to those counts.^[1]

Property condition was the biggest failure area. The Ombudsman upheld all 7 of the property-condition findings it counted (100%, against 73% nationally).^[1] Complaints handling was upheld in half of the 4 findings there (50%, against 77% nationally), and anti-social behaviour in none of the 1 finding it counted (0%, against 66% nationally).^[1] Repairs to leaks, damp and mould were the joint-largest single sub-category, at 4 findings.^[1]

Orders and compensation. Across the year the Ombudsman made 18 orders; its headline compensation figure — the compensation it ordered together with the compensation it only recommended — was £4,925.^[1] It made no complaint handling failure orders and, of the orders the Ombudsman followed up, the Corporation complied with all of them within three months.^[1]

A first, small caseload. The 2024-25 report is the first landlord performance report the Ombudsman has published for the Corporation.^[1]

What tenants say. In the Corporation's 2024/25 tenant satisfaction measures — a survey run by an independent research company — 67.7% of tenants were satisfied with the overall service, 67.4% with repairs, and 30.0% with complaints handling, its lowest score.^[4]

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is the government body that checks social landlords meet required standards. Since 2024 it has been inspecting landlords, grading each from C1 (the strongest) to C4.

The grade is C3. In a judgement published on 25 February 2026, the regulator graded the City of London Corporation C3: "Our judgement is that there are serious failings in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and significant improvement is needed."^[2] The grade came through the regulator's planned inspection programme — though before the inspection, the Corporation had already reported itself to the regulator over failings on electrical safety and fire safety.^[2]

“Our judgement is that there are serious failings in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and significant improvement is needed.”^[2]

— Regulator of Social Housing, City of London Corporation (00AA) — Regulatory Judgement: 25 February 2026 (25 February 2026)

What the judgement found. The regulator's central concerns were building safety and decency:^[2]

• Electrical safety. Significant numbers of overdue electrical safety remedial actions.^[2]
• Fire safety. More than 1,000 overdue fire safety actions — some high-risk and overdue for over a year.^[2]
• Decency. 18% of homes did not meet the government's Decent Homes Standard, and the Corporation is not expected to meet it until 2035.^[2]
• Complaints. The regulator said it had assurance the Corporation was handling complaints fairly, effectively and promptly.^[2]
• Enforcement. It was not proposing enforcement at this stage, but would keep that under review and monitor the Corporation's improvement plans intensively.^[2]

What the Corporation has said and done. In August 2025 the Corporation announced an electrical-safety inspection programme — 1,184 homes had gone beyond the recommended five-year check interval — committing to complete all outstanding inspections by April 2026.^[5] According to the local title EC1 Echo, the Corporation says it aims to reach the top C1 grade within two years.^[6]

No regulatory notice in force. As at the date this page was last checked, the RSH has no regulatory notice — a formal published finding of a breach — in force against the Corporation.^[7] Grades are reviewed from time to time and may change.

Whatever a landlord's track record, its legal duties are the same.

Repairs. Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the City of London Corporation must keep the structure and exterior of your home in repair. It must also keep the installations for heating, hot water, gas, electricity, water and sanitation in working order. This applies to almost every council tenancy and cannot be signed away.

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.^[8]

The Corporation's own repair timescales. The Corporation sorts repairs by priority, from emergency to routine, with a target time for each band — the disrepair page sets those out too.^[4]

If the Corporation misses these timescales after you have reported a problem, the topic pages below explain what you can do next.