Rochdale Boroughwide Housing

The Housing Ombudsman investigates complaints about social landlords. Where a landlord got things wrong, it finds "service failure", "maladministration" or, for the most serious failings, "severe maladministration". Its maladministration rate counts all three.

The 2025-26 performance report. The Ombudsman recorded a maladministration rate of 54.3% for RBH — 19 of 35 findings, across 17 decided cases.^[1] That compares with a national rate of 62%, and 52% for landlords of a similar size and type.^[1]

“The number of 'Mal' findings recorded for Rochdale Boroughwide Housing Limited is 19, which gives the Maladministration rate of 54.3% (19 / 35).”^[1]

Housing Ombudsman Service, Landlord Performance Report 2025/2026 — Rochdale Boroughwide Housing Limited (14 September 2026)

Cases per 1,000 homes. The Ombudsman received 4.8 cases per 1,000 RBH homes, against a median of 5.4 for similar landlords. It made 1.5 maladministration findings per 1,000 homes, against a median of 1.2.^[1]

Where the findings fell. Responsive repairs was the largest category, with 18 findings, followed by managing relations with 11. Each held one of the year's two severe maladministration findings.^[1] Severe findings made up 5% of RBH's findings, against 2% nationally.^[1] Complaint handling was the most common sub-category, with 10 findings.^[1]

Complaint handling in an anti-social behaviour case. In June 2025 the Ombudsman found "severe maladministration in relation to the landlord's complaint handling" in a case about a neighbour's anti-social behaviour.^[7] The resident waited 119 working days for responses against a policy timeframe of 40. The Ombudsman ordered an apology from a senior executive, £1,000 compensation and staff training.^[7] It noted that RBH had since taken a firmer approach to the behaviour, in line with its policy.^[7]

“In accordance with paragraph 52 of the Scheme, there was severe maladministration in relation to the landlord's complaint handling.”^[7]

Housing Ombudsman Service, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing Limited (202411980) (26 June 2025, 202411980)

Orders and compensation. The Ombudsman made 41 orders and 15 recommendations, and 2 complaint handling failure orders. Its compliance table records all 41 orders that fell due during 2025-26 as met within three months.^[1] It ordered or recommended £7,500 in compensation in all.^[1]

Earlier years. The report shows rates of 75% across 7 decided cases in 2023-24, and 63% across 8 in 2024-25.^[1] The Ombudsman says that from October 2025 it examined complaint handling in every case, which affects how rates compare with earlier years.^[8]

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is the government body that checks social landlords meet required standards. It grades landlords for consumer standards (C1 to C4), governance (G1 to G4) and financial viability (V1 to V4). On each scale, 1 is the strongest.^[9]

The current grades: G2 and V2. After a stability check in January 2026, the regulator kept RBH at G2 for governance and V2 for viability. That check does not look at consumer standards, and RBH has no consumer grade yet.^[10]

The 2022 investigation. The regulator investigated RBH after the death of Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020, aged two, from a severe respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his home.^[5] In December 2022 it found RBH had made incorrect assumptions about the cause of the damp and mould in that home and failed to put it right. It said RBH "waited nearly two years after Awaab Ishak's death to check for damp and mould in other homes on the estate". When it did, it found hundreds of tenants living with damp and mould.^[4]

“RBH waited nearly two years after Awaab Ishak's death to check for damp and mould in other homes on the estate.”^[4]

Regulator of Social Housing (GOV.UK), Regulator of Social Housing takes action against Rochdale Boroughwide Housing after investigation finds widespread failings on damp and mould (15 December 2022)

Enforcement in 2022. The regulator issued a regulatory notice for breaches of its consumer standards, and downgraded RBH's governance to G3, a non-compliant grade.^[4]

Return to compliance. In March 2025 the regulator removed the notice and gave RBH a G2 governance grade. It had sought assurance that RBH's new leadership had strengthened how it is run, "to address the failings which led to Awaab Ishak's tragic death".^[2] It found RBH now understood the condition of its homes better and was carrying out targeted damp and mould works. It said RBH still needed to strengthen risk management and data quality.^[10]

“Through this engagement RSH has sought assurance that Rochdale Boroughwide Housing's new leadership team has strengthened the way the organisation is run, to address the failings which led to Awaab Ishak's tragic death and improve its service to tenants.”^[2]

Regulator of Social Housing (GOV.UK), RSH publishes regulatory judgements for seven landlords (26 March 2025)

What RBH says. It describes the past year as building on its recovery and return to regulatory compliance.^[11] It reports that damp and mould now comes back after treatment less often than when its improvement work began; the disrepair page gives its figures.^[12]

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, RBH 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.^[13]

Safety checks. RBH must also meet health and safety duties for its homes, such as fire, gas and electrical safety.

Complaint handling. RBH must handle complaints under the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code, through a two-stage process with set response times — the disrepair page explains how to use it.^[16]

RBH's own repair timescales. It sorts repairs into priorities, each with a published target time — from emergencies through to larger programmed work — which the disrepair page lists.^[18]

Where to report and complain. Report a repair through the MyRBH portal, by email or on its freephone line, and complain through its online help centre, by email, by phone or in writing, using the contact details on rbh.org.uk.^[16]