Peabody

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 rate. The Ombudsman's latest report on Peabody Trust covers 293 cases it decided from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. It recorded a maladministration rate of 55.8% (385 of 690 findings), below the national rate of 62% and the 60% for landlords of a similar size and type.^[1] Relative to its size, though, it had 4.2 maladministration findings per 1,000 homes, against medians of 3.5 for similar landlords and 1.5 for all landlords.^[1]

“The number of 'Mal' findings recorded for Peabody Trust is 385, which gives the Maladministration rate of 55.8% (385 / 690).”^[1]

Housing Ombudsman Service, Landlord Performance Report 2025/2026 – Peabody Trust (15 September 2026)

Severity and repairs. Eighteen findings were severe, 14 of them about responsive repairs.^[1] Condensation, damp and mould was one of the three sub-categories with the most findings.^[1]

Orders and compensation. The Ombudsman made 864 orders and no complaint handling failure orders. The report's headline figure is £278,357 in compensation ordered and recommended.^[1]

Earlier years. The report restates Peabody's rate as 73% for 2023-24 and 69% for 2024-25.^[1] 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 earlier years.^[4]

An independent review of long delays. Under a "wider order", which looks beyond a single case, the Ombudsman directed Peabody to commission an independent review of how it moves residents out during repairs. Reported in August 2024, the review found 180 residents had been decanted for damp and mould since February 2021, six for more than 300 days, and made 31 recommendations.^[5] Chief executive Ian McDermott said of the case that triggered the review: "We didn't give this resident the level of service we're striving for and we're very sorry we let her down."^[5]

A special report from the Catalyst era. Catalyst Housing was a Peabody subsidiary from April 2022 and transferred all its homes and activities to Peabody Trust in April 2023.^[6] In March 2023 the Ombudsman published a special report on 13 Catalyst cases, from complaints made in 2020/21. It found maladministration in 28 of 31 findings, a rate of 90%, and concluded Catalyst "routinely failed to recognise formal complaints and treat them as such".^[8] These failings pre-date Peabody's management, but the residents affected are Peabody Trust tenants today. Catalyst apologised in a statement printed in the report.^[8]

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is the government body that checks social landlords meet required standards for safe, decent homes. Since 2024 the RSH has been inspecting social landlords and giving each a consumer grade from C1 (the strongest) to C4.

Peabody's grade is C2. In its judgement published on 29 April 2026 — noting "This is the first time we have issued a consumer grade in relation to this landlord" — the regulator graded Peabody Trust C2 for consumer standards: "There are some weaknesses in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and improvement is needed."^[2]

What the regulator found on repairs and damp and mould. The judgement said the inspection "found weaknesses in the provision of an effective, efficient and timely repairs and maintenance service", and that "more work is required for the repairs service to meet Peabody's own targets on timeliness, including on emergency and priority repairs, to reduce cancellations and improve tenant satisfaction". On damp and mould, it said "some improvement is needed to ensure that target timescales are met, and that remedial works are carried out in a timely manner".^[2]

The rest of the picture. The same judgement graded Peabody G1 for governance — the regulator's top governance grade, meaning it considers Peabody meets its governance requirements — and V2 for financial viability, which the regulator linked to "significant investment in existing homes and an increased disposal programme", adding: "Peabody therefore has reduced capacity to respond to adverse events."^[2] On complaints, the regulator recorded that Peabody "has taken action to improve its complaints performance" and must continue that work "to ensure that complaints are addressed fairly, effectively and promptly".^[2] Regulatory grades are reviewed from time to time and may change — the 29 April 2026 judgement date is the one that matters.

Where the homes stand. In the Regulator of Social Housing's published figures for 2024-25, 0.1% of Peabody's homes did not meet the Decent Homes Standard — the government's minimum standard for social housing — Peabody reported spending £431 million to keep homes safe, warm and well maintained that year, and £71 million on building safety.^[3][9]

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, Peabody 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.^[10]

Peabody's own published repair timescales. Peabody's Responsive Repairs Policy sets target times for its repairs service, and a separate policy covers damp, mould and condensation — the disrepair page lists the figures and who they apply to.^[13][14]

Where to report and complain. Report a repair online through My Peabody or call its Contact Centre; urgent repairs must be reported by phone.^[16] Complain through Peabody's complaints page (opens in new tab).^[17] Former Catalyst and Family Mosaic tenants use the same routes, because Peabody Trust is now their landlord.^[6][18]