Leicester City 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.

The 2025/26 performance report. The Ombudsman decided 23 Leicester cases in 2025/26 (not counting cases outside its jurisdiction or withdrawn), producing 57 findings.^[4] It counted 52 of them for the rate, leaving out findings outside its jurisdiction, and upheld 40 against the council — a rate of 76.9%. The rate counts severe maladministration, maladministration and service failure together; 1 upheld finding was severe maladministration.^[4]

The rate has risen each year — 63% in 2023/24 and 71% in 2024/25, on 11 and 8 decided cases.^[4] It is above the national rate of 62%, and above the 70% rate for landlords of a similar size and type.^[4]

Managing relations was the largest category, with 22 findings, 73% upheld (national 57%). Responsive repairs followed with 13 findings, all upheld (national 72%).^[4] Across the year the Ombudsman made 71 orders, including £8,278 in compensation.^[4]

A severe finding over heating. In a March 2026 report on its severe maladministration cases, the Ombudsman said: "Leicester City Council (202331091*) failed to restore heating to a home for nearly a year. This is despite the home containing a young baby."^[5] In its response the council said it had invested in its complaints team and was restructuring its district heating team.^[5]

“Leicester City Council (202331091*) failed to restore heating to a home for nearly a year. This is despite the home containing a young baby.”^[5]

Housing Ombudsman Service, Learning from: Severe Maladministration (1 March 2026, 202331091)

An earlier heating case. In November 2024 the Ombudsman found maladministration after the council left a resident without a working radiator in her most-used room for 16 months, across two winters.^[6]

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.

Leicester's grade is C3. In a judgement published on 30 July 2025, after a planned inspection, the regulator graded Leicester City Council C3: "Our judgement is that there are serious failings in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and significant improvement is needed."^[1] It was the first consumer grade the regulator had given the council.^[1]

What the judgement found. The regulator's concerns were about the Safety and Quality Standard and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard:^[1]

• the council's last full stock condition survey was in 2009, and it could not show its homes were free of the most serious hazards
• at the time of the inspection, around 70% of its homes had not had an electrical safety test
• it had begun resurveying its communal areas for asbestos because of concerns about its data
• there were weaknesses in its repairs service, and limited evidence it was meeting complaint-handling requirements.^[1]

What it found working. The regulator said the council gave assurance it was meeting legal requirements on gas, fire, water and lift safety, and dealt effectively with anti-social behaviour and hate incidents.^[1] It said the council was "engaging constructively" and had put a programme in place to rectify the failings. It was not proposing to use its enforcement powers at that stage, but would keep that under review.^[1]

The council's improvement plan. The council's improvement page, covering the year to March 2026, says 5 of the plan's 25 actions are complete and 20 are in progress.^[7]

No regulatory notice in force. As at the date this page was last checked, the regulator has no regulatory notice — a formal published finding of a breach — in force against Leicester City Council.^[2] Grades are reviewed from time to time and may change.

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, Leicester City 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 to investigate hazards such as damp and mould and make homes safe — the disrepair page sets them out.^[9]

Leicester's own published repair timescales. The council sorts repairs by priority and publishes target times — the disrepair page lists them.^[12]

Where to report and complain. The disrepair page gives the council's repairs line and its complaints route.^[13]