emh

The Housing Ombudsman is the independent service that investigates complaints about social landlords. It records failings as "service failure", "maladministration" or — the most serious — "severe maladministration", and its maladministration rate counts all three. It reports on emh under the group's registered name, East Midlands Housing Group Limited.^[1]

The 2025-26 performance report. The Ombudsman recorded a maladministration rate of 62.5% for emh — 40 of 64 findings counted — against a national rate of 62%, and 52% for landlords of a similar size and type.^[4] The findings came from 29 cases decided in the year. None was severe maladministration; 18 were service failure, the least serious level.^[4]

“The number of 'Mal' findings recorded for East Midlands Housing Group Limited is 40, which gives the Maladministration rate of 62.5% (40 / 64).”^[4]

Housing Ombudsman Service, Landlord Performance Report 2025/2026 — East Midlands Housing Group Limited (15 September 2026)

Where the findings fell. Managing relations with residents was the largest category, with 25 findings and a maladministration rate of 48%, against 57% nationally. Responsive repairs came next, with 24 findings and a rate of 75%, against 72% nationally. Within those categories, complaint handling was the most common single sub-category, with 24 findings.^[4]

Orders and compensation. The Ombudsman made 84 orders and 26 recommendations, and recorded £12,571 in compensation, ordered and recommended combined. It made no complaint handling failure orders — the orders it makes when a landlord's handling of the complaint itself fails. Within three months, emh complied with all 84 orders due in the year.^[4]

Against its size. For every 1,000 homes, the Ombudsman received 5.4 cases about emh, level with the national median and with similar landlords. It recorded 2.0 maladministration findings per 1,000 homes, against a national median of 1.5 and 1.2 for similar landlords.^[4]

Over time. The rate was 80% in 2024-25, across 23 decided cases, and 74% in 2023-24, across 16.^[4]

What tenants say, and what emh says. In emh's 2025-26 survey, 77.2% of tenants in its low-cost rented homes who had a repair were satisfied with the repairs service.^[5] The landlord says it has cut call waiting times, added WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger as ways to get in touch, and set up a Service Resolution Team to sort out problems faster.^[6]

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is the government body that checks social landlords meet required standards. 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.

Consumer grade: C1. In a judgement published on 12 August 2026, the regulator upgraded emh to C1: "Our judgement is that overall the landlord is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards."^[1]

Up from C2. The regulator had graded emh C2 after an inspection completed in November 2024.^[1] It found weaknesses in how far tenants could influence and scrutinise emh's strategies and in its customer contact service, and noted a rise in complaints. After further engagement, it said tenants now have meaningful opportunities to contribute to decisions at group board level, and that a better contact service has helped bring a sustained fall in complaints.^[1]

Repairs and safety. At the 2024 inspection the regulator found that emh provided an effective, efficient and timely repairs service, had appropriate systems for tenants' health and safety, and kept an accurate record of the condition of its homes from physical surveys.^[1]

What emh says. It says the upgrade followed its "pathway to C1" project and a stronger resident voice, including a Resident Influence Committee that reports to its group board, and that there is more work to do.^[8]

Governance and viability. The regulator grades emh G1 for governance — "Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements"^[1] — and V2 for viability: it meets the requirements, but "needs to manage material risks to ensure continued compliance". The regulator said emh's plans for significant investment in its existing homes reduce its capacity in the short term.^[1]

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

Regulator of Social Housing (GOV.UK), East Midlands Housing Group Limited (L4530) - Regulatory Judgement: 12 August 2026 (12 August 2026)

“Our judgement is that the landlord meets our viability requirements. 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), East Midlands Housing Group Limited (L4530) - Regulatory Judgement: 12 August 2026 (12 August 2026)

No regulatory notice. There is no regulatory notice — a formal published finding of a breach — in force against East Midlands Housing Group Limited; the regulator's page for it lists only its judgement.^[2]

A housing association's repair duties are just as strong as a council's, and they do not depend on its record or its grade.

Repairs. Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, emh 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.^[9]

Its own repair targets. It sorts repairs into emergency, urgent, routine and responsive planned repairs, each with a target time it aims for, which the disrepair page lists.^[12]

Safety checks. Like every social landlord, emh must meet its statutory health and safety duties, such as gas and electrical safety checks. At its 2024 inspection the regulator found emh had appropriate systems for tenants' health and safety.^[1]

Complaint handling. Under the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code, emh must handle complaints through a two-stage process with set response times — the disrepair page explains how to use it.^[13]

Where to report and complain. Report a repair through MyHomeOnline (opens in new tab) or by phone — the disrepair page gives the number — and make a complaint through emh's complaints page (opens in new tab).^[13][15]