Hillingdon 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 The Ombudsman decided 18 Hillingdon cases in 2025/26, excluding cases outside its jurisdiction or withdrawn.^[3] Its rate counts service failure as well as maladministration: 32 of the 42 findings it counted — 18 maladministration and 14 service failure, with no severe maladministration — a rate of 76%.^[3] That compares with a national rate of 62% and 70% for landlords of a similar size and type.^[3]

What the findings were about. The largest category was what the Ombudsman calls "managing relations", with 15 findings and an 80% rate, against 57% nationally. Repairs came next, with 11 findings and a 64% rate, against 72% nationally.^[3] Complaint handling was the most common sub-category, with 13 findings.^[3]

Orders and compensation. The Ombudsman made 62 orders, and records every one due in the year as complied with within three months. It issued no complaint handling failure orders. Its report's headline compensation figure, which adds compensation ordered and recommended, is £7,100.^[3]

The trend. The Ombudsman's figures put the council's rate at 61% across 11 decided cases in 2023/24 (adjusted to compare with this year) and 89% across 15 in 2024/25.^[3] 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.^[6]

A damp and mould case. In October 2025 the Ombudsman found maladministration in how the council handled a secure tenant's reports of damp and mould. The Ombudsman found that repeated roof and insulation repairs failed, and that the work was not finished until June and July 2025, well outside the council's own timescales.^[7] The council had acknowledged the delays, apologised and offered £50. The Ombudsman said that did not reflect the impact, and ordered an apology and £500 in total, including the £50 already offered.^[7]

What tenants say. In the council's own 2025/26 survey, 61.2% of tenants surveyed were satisfied with its overall service.^[5] Among tenants who had complained, 26% were satisfied with how their complaint was handled.^[5]

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 landlords and giving each a consumer grade from C1 (the strongest) to C4.

Hillingdon has a C2 grade. In a judgement published on 30 July 2025, the regulator gave Hillingdon Council a C2, the second-highest grade and the first it had issued for the council.^[1] It followed a self-referral the council made in August 2024 about its delivery of the Safety and Quality Standard, and an inspection completed in July 2025.^[1]

What the regulator found. It named weaknesses in the Safety and Quality Standard, the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard and, to a lesser extent, the Neighbourhood and Community Standard.^[1] In particular, it found:

• the council knew the condition of 87% of its homes from physical surveys, and had a costed plan for homes not meeting the Decent Homes Standard
• it was meeting its legal health and safety requirements, but lacked reporting on overdue damp and mould cases
• its repairs service was generally efficient, with timeliness recently improved, but there were weaknesses in how clearly and promptly it told tenants about repair timescales
• complaints information directed tenants only to online reporting.^[1]

The regulator said the council "has successfully addressed a number of issues and is putting in place appropriate and resourced plans to rectify the remaining weaknesses".^[1]

“Since identifying weaknesses in the delivery of outcomes, LB Hillingdon has successfully addressed a number of issues and is putting in place appropriate and resourced plans to rectify the remaining weaknesses.”^[1]

Regulator of Social Housing, London Borough of Hillingdon (00AS) - Regulatory Judgement: 30 July 2025 (30 July 2025)

The council's response. The council says it is committed to delivering all the regulator's recommendations to achieve a C1 grade, and has published a three-year service improvement strategy.^[8] It reports that the share of its homes not meeting the Decent Homes Standard fell from 30.9% at the regulator's inspection to 14.8% by the end of 2025/26, and aims for 5% by March 2028. These are its own figures.^[4]

What the grade means for your home. The grade 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.

Repairs. Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Hillingdon 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.^[10]

Hillingdon's own published repair timescales. The council publishes target times for emergency and non-emergency repairs — the disrepair page lists them.^[13]

Where to report and complain. The disrepair page gives the council's repairs routes and its complaints process.^[14]