Karbon Homes

The Housing Ombudsman is the independent body that investigates complaints about social landlords. When it finds a landlord got something wrong, it records "service failure", "maladministration" or, for the most serious failings, "severe maladministration". The findings below concern Karbon Homes Limited.^[1]

The 2025-26 performance report. In the year to 31 March 2026 the Ombudsman recorded a maladministration rate of 67.5% for Karbon Homes — 27 of 40 findings, across 16 cases. The national rate was 62%, and 52% for landlords of a similar size and type.^[3] That rate counts service failure as well as maladministration, and none of the findings was severe maladministration.^[3] The same report puts the rate at 44% in 2023-24 and 56% in 2024-25, each across 9 cases.^[3]

Where the findings fell. Complaint handling was the most common issue, with 14 findings. Damp and mould accounted for 4, of which 3 were findings of maladministration.^[3]

Orders and case numbers. The Ombudsman made 43 orders on cases it decided in the year, and its report records all 43 orders due in the year as complied with.^[3] Relative to Karbon's size, the Ombudsman received 2.8 cases per 1,000 homes, against a median of 5.4 across landlords.^[3]

In individual cases. In a decision dated 30 January 2026, the Ombudsman found "Maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of damp, mould and associated repairs".^[5] It ordered an apology and £250 in compensation — £200 for the damp and mould handling and £50 for a separate service failure over the boiler and heating. It found that Karbon had dealt with the same resident's reports of rats promptly, and found no maladministration in its complaint handling.^[5] Not every complaint is upheld: in an anti-social behaviour case decided in August 2025, it found no maladministration.^[6]

“Maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports of damp, mould and associated repairs.”^[5]

Housing Ombudsman Service, Karbon Homes Limited (202528248) — Housing Ombudsman decision (30 January 2026, 202528248)

What tenants say. In Karbon Group's tenant survey for 2025-26, 84.9% of social-rent tenants were satisfied with the overall service and 83.8% with repairs, but 54.6% with how complaints are handled.^[4] The survey covers the whole group, including 54 North Homes and Leazes Homes.^[4]

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is the government body that checks social landlords meet required standards. It grades consumer standards — the homes and services tenants get — from C1 (the strongest) to C4, and separately grades governance (G1 to G4) and financial viability (V1 to V4).

Karbon's consumer grade is C2. The regulator gave the grade after an inspection, in a judgement published on 24 September 2025: "Our judgement is that there are some weaknesses in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and improvement is needed."^[1] It was the first consumer grade the regulator had given Karbon. The weaknesses it named were in two of the four consumer standards: Safety and Quality, and Transparency, Influence and Accountability.^[1]

What the inspection found. The regulator said Karbon was focused on making its repairs service quicker and more effective. That work was ongoing, and more time was needed to show sustained improvement, particularly in repair timeframes.^[1] It also found that Karbon keeps an accurate record of the condition of its homes and treats tenants with fairness and respect. Its complaint handling, the regulator said, is clear and in line with the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.^[1]

What Karbon's own figures show. Karbon Group reports that 81.3% of non-emergency repairs to its social-rent homes were completed within its target time in 2025-26, up from 59.3% the year before.^[4]

Governance and viability. The same judgement graded Karbon G1 — "Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements"^[1] — and V1: "Our judgement is that the landlord meets our viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with a wide range of adverse scenarios."^[1]

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

Regulator of Social Housing (GOV.UK), Karbon Homes Limited (4846) – Regulatory Judgement: 24 September 2025 (24 September 2025)

“Our judgement is that the landlord meets our viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with a wide range of adverse scenarios.”^[1]

Regulator of Social Housing (GOV.UK), Karbon Homes Limited (4846) – Regulatory Judgement: 24 September 2025 (24 September 2025)

No regulatory notice. There is no regulatory notice — a formal published finding of a breach — currently in force against Karbon Homes Limited, and the regulator's page for it lists only its judgement.^[2] Grades are reviewed from time to time and may change, so the judgement date is the one that matters.

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

Repairs. Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Karbon 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.^[7]

Karbon's own repair timescales. Karbon sorts repairs into emergency, routine and major jobs, each with a published target time, which the disrepair page lists.^[10]

Where to report and complain. Report a repair through your MyKarbon account or by phone, and make a complaint through its two-stage process on its Making a complaint (opens in new tab) page.^[11][12]