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 2025-26 numbers are small. The Ombudsman's performance report for the Corporation covers 9 cases decided between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026.^[1] Its maladministration rate counts service failure as well as maladministration. It upheld 10 of the 17 findings it counted — 5 maladministration and 5 service failure.^[1] That is a rate of 59%, against a national rate of 62% and 67% 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, so read the percentage next to those counts.

Complaint handling, more than repairs. Managing relations, the category that includes complaint handling, was the largest, with 10 findings and a 60% rate, against 57% nationally.^[1][5] Complaint handling was the largest single sub-category, at 9 findings.^[1] Responsive repairs had 3 findings counted, with a 33% rate against 72% nationally. Planned works had 2, both upheld, against 58% nationally.^[1]

Orders and compensation. It made 20 orders and recorded £3,140 in compensation, ordered or recommended.^[1] It records the Corporation as complying with all 20 orders due in the year within three months.^[1]

The trend. The Ombudsman's figures put the Corporation's rate at 75% across 5 decided cases in 2024-25; it shows no figures for 2023-24.^[1] 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.^[5]

What tenants say. In the Corporation's 2025-26 tenant satisfaction measures — a survey run for it by Acuity Research and Practice — 65.0% of tenants were satisfied with the overall service and 70.6% of those who had a repair were satisfied with the repairs service.^[4] Among tenants who had complained in the last year, 37.4% were satisfied 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, decency and repairs:^[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 does not expect every home to meet it until 2035.^[2]
• Repairs. The regulator found serious failings in repairs, maintenance and planned improvements: there were signs of improvement, but not enough evidence that service had consistently improved for tenants.^[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.^[6] According to the local title EC1 Echo, the Corporation says it hopes to be heading towards the top C1 grade within two years.^[7] The same report says the Corporation's main repairs contractor halted work in May 2026 and that, as at June 2026, non-emergency repairs may be delayed while temporary contractors cover.^[7]

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.^[8] 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.^[9]

The Corporation's own repair timescales. The Corporation sorts repairs into emergency and non-emergency, with a target time for each — the disrepair page sets them out.^[12]

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