Nottingham City Council

The Housing Ombudsman 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 2024-25 performance report. The Ombudsman's landlord report for Nottingham covers the 13 cases it decided between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, which produced 30 findings in total.^[4] Of the 28 findings it counted towards its maladministration rate, it upheld 23 — a rate of 82.1%, above the national rate of 71%.^[4] None of the findings were severe maladministration, the most serious category.^[4]

What the findings were. The condition of people's homes was the largest area of complaint, with maladministration found in 88% of the 16 property-condition findings — above the national rate of 73% for that category.^[4] Complaint handling was upheld in all 5 of its findings — 100%, against a national rate of 77% — and anti-social behaviour in 67% of 3 findings.^[4]

Orders, compensation and compliance. Across the year the Ombudsman made 50 orders, spread across 21 of the findings, plus 13 recommendations, issued no complaint handling failure orders, and recorded £4,100 in compensation.^[4] Every order with a target date that year — 49 in all, 100% — was complied with on time.^[4]

How the picture has moved. On the Ombudsman's own restated figures, Nottingham's maladministration rate was 67% in 2022-23 and 71% in 2023-24, so the 2024-25 rate is higher than in either of the two preceding years.^[4] The council brought its housing service back under direct management in March 2023, and in June 2026 the Regulator of Social Housing recognised improvements in its repairs and complaint handling — its full view is in the section on what the regulator has said about Nottingham.^[1]

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

From C3 to C2. Nottingham was first graded C3 in January 2025, after an inspection found weaknesses in how it was delivering the consumer standards.^[1] On 24 June 2026 the RSH raised the grade to C2 — meaning weaknesses remain and improvement is still needed, but with fewer serious concerns than a C3.^[1]

What the regulator found. In its June 2026 judgement the RSH said Nottingham had improved its understanding of the condition of its homes — it had surveyed 85% of them within the past five years, having previously left many unsurveyed for over a decade — and had strengthened its repairs service and its handling of disrepair cases.^[1] It reported that 0.3% of homes did not meet the Decent Homes Standard, and that earlier weaknesses in gas-safety and carbon-monoxide monitoring had been addressed.^[1]

What still needs to improve. The same judgement said weaknesses remained in how Nottingham delivered the consumer standards and that further improvement was needed, particularly under the Safety and Quality Standard, which covers the condition and safety of people's homes.^[1]

What the grade means for your home. A C2 grade is about standards across the council's homes as a whole, not the state of any one home. It does not decide anything about disrepair in an individual home: if yours has damp, mould, a leak or an unfixed repair, your rights are separate and still apply.^[1]

Whatever a landlord's track record, its legal duties are the same.

Repairs. Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Nottingham City Council 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 council 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, including councils, to investigate hazards such as damp and mould and make homes safe — the disrepair page sets them out.^[6]

Where to report and complain. Report a repair to the council, and make a housing complaint through its two-stage Have Your Say process — the disrepair page has the repairs line and the complaint steps.^[9]