Dudley 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 decided 8 Dudley cases in 2025/26. Its rate counts service failure too: 12 of the 22 findings within its jurisdiction — 9 maladministration and 3 service failure, with no severe maladministration — a rate of 55%.^[1] That compares with a national rate of 62% and 70% for landlords of a similar size and type.^[1]

What the findings were about. On responsive repairs, it found failings in 6 of the 11 findings, a rate of 55% against 72% nationally. Both findings about damp and mould, and the one about a leak, were maladministration. Complaint handling was the most common sub-category, with 6 findings.^[1]

Orders and compensation. The Ombudsman made 23 orders in 2025/26, and all 23 orders that fell due during the year were complied with. It ordered £3,300 in compensation and recommended none on top.^[1]

The trend. The Ombudsman's figures put the council's rate at 77% across 8 decided cases in 2023/24, and 68% across 7 in 2024/25.^[1] From October 2025 the Ombudsman examined complaint handling in every case, which it says affects how the 2025/26 rates compare with earlier years.^[7]

A recent decision. In April 2026 the Ombudsman found maladministration in how the council responded to a tenant's report of a leak and mould in her wet room. It said the council responded only after she complained.^[8] It ordered an apology from a manager and £600 in compensation, including what the council had already offered.^[8]

The council's own figures. In its 2025/26 survey, 32.7% of tenants who said they had complained were satisfied with how their complaint was handled.^[5] Its annual complaints report records 907 stage 1 complaints in 2025/26, 65.8% of them answered within the timescale in the Ombudsman's complaint handling code. The council says the figure would be 81% if it counted the extensions the code allows.^[9]

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

No grade yet, and a notice in place. The regulator has not published a consumer standards grade for Dudley Council. Its only published decision on the council is a regulatory notice — a formal finding of a breach — and it shows no update or withdrawal.^[2] This is the position as at the date this page was last checked, and may change.

The 2023 regulatory notice. The council referred itself to the regulator in March 2023, after finding it was not meeting health and safety requirements in some of its homes.^[2] On 27 April 2023 the regulator found it in breach of the Home Standard. The council had reported that:

• gas safety inspections were overdue for more than 300 homes
• around 500 fire risk assessments were outstanding, and more than 8,000 fire safety actions overdue
• around 4,000 homes had not had an electrical inspection in the last 10 years
• around 500 communal asbestos inspections were overdue.^[2]

It also could not show what proportion of its homes met the Decent Homes Standard.^[2] The regulator concluded that "there was the potential for serious detriment to Dudley MBC's tenants".^[2] It said it would keep its use of its statutory powers under regular review, and would consider what further action may be needed.^[2]

“there was the potential for serious detriment to Dudley MBC's tenants”^[2]

Regulator of Social Housing, Regulatory Notice: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (27 April 2023) (27 April 2023)

The council's response. The council said its records had problems dating back up to ten years, and that it had commissioned condition surveys of all its homes.^[10] Its tenant satisfaction measures for 2025/26 report that 99.9% of homes had all required gas safety checks, 100% had all required fire risk assessments, and 2.5% did not meet the Decent Homes Standard.^[5] These are the council's own figures. In January 2026 it told councillors it had asked the regulator to lift the notice; the regulator's page shows no decision.^[2][11]

What the notice means for your home. The notice is about the council's systems across all its homes, not the state of any one home. If your home has damp, mould, a leak or an unfixed repair, your rights are separate and still apply.

Whatever a landlord's track record, its legal duties are the same — and they are strong. The council manages its own homes, and its in-house maintenance team carries out repairs.^[12]

Repairs. Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the council must keep the structure and exterior of your home in repair — the roof, walls, windows and doors. It must also 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, including councils, to investigate hazards such as damp and mould and make homes safe — the disrepair page sets them out.^[13]

Repair targets. The council's own pages do not set out target times for each type of repair; its tenancy conditions say it must do repairs in a reasonable time, depending on how urgent they are.^[16] It has reported its targets to the regulator — the disrepair page gives them.^[18]

Where to report and complain. Tenants can report repairs through MyDudley (opens in new tab) and complain through the council's online complaint form (opens in new tab); the disrepair page gives the phone lines and the council's two-stage complaints process.^[17][22]