Vivid

The Housing Ombudsman is the independent service 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, and "service failure" for the least. Its maladministration rate counts all three together.

The 2025-26 performance report. The Ombudsman decided 52 cases about Vivid between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, not counting cases withdrawn or wholly outside its jurisdiction. They produced 113 findings; one fell outside its jurisdiction and is not counted in the rate.^[3] It recorded a maladministration rate of 54.5% — 61 of 112 findings counted — below the national rate of 62%, but above the 52% for landlords of a similar size and type.^[3] One of those findings was severe maladministration.^[3]

“The number of 'Mal' findings recorded for Vivid Housing Limited is 61, which gives the Maladministration rate of 54.5% (61 / 112)”^[3]

Housing Ombudsman Service, Landlord Performance Report 2025/2026 — Vivid Housing Limited (15 September 2026)

Where the findings fell. Responsive repairs was the largest category, with 46 findings (45 counted) and a maladministration rate of 67%, against 72% nationally. Managing relations came next, with 40 findings and a rate of 43%, against 57% nationally. Complaint handling was the most common single issue, with 35 findings.^[3]

Orders and compensation. Across the year the Ombudsman made 132 orders and 48 recommendations, and recorded £25,531 in compensation, ordered and recommended combined. It made no complaint handling failure orders — the orders it makes when a landlord's complaint handling itself fails. Vivid complied within three months with every order due in the year.^[3]

Against its size, and over time. The Ombudsman recorded 1.6 maladministration findings per 1,000 of the homes it counts for Vivid, against a national median of 1.5 and a median of 1.2 for landlords of a similar size and type.^[3] Vivid's rate fell from 73% in 2023-24 to 53% in 2024-25, and held at a similar level in 2025-26, as the cases the Ombudsman decided rose from 29 to 38 to 52. Its 2023-24 case count is recalculated on the same basis.^[3]

What tenants say, and what Vivid says. In Vivid's own survey for 2025-26, 71.3% of tenants in its low-cost rented homes were satisfied with the overall service and 73.9% with repairs, but 36.5% with how it handles complaints.^[4] Vivid says it has started a programme to cut repair waiting times and is strengthening how it handles complaints.^[4]

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is the government body that checks social landlords meet required standards. It grades landlords for governance — from G1 (the strongest) to G4 — for how well a landlord is run; for financial viability — from V1 to V4; and, since 2024, separately for consumer standards — from C1 to C4 — for the homes and services tenants actually get.

Vivid holds the top grades for governance and viability. In a judgement published on 17 December 2025, the regulator graded Vivid G1 for governance — "Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements"^[1] — and V1 for viability: "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] The regulator said Vivid has a strong financial profile, and that its stress testing shows financial capacity built into its business plan.^[1]

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

Regulator of Social Housing (GOV.UK), Vivid Housing Limited (4850) - Regulatory Judgement: 17 December 2025 (17 December 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), Vivid Housing Limited (4850) - Regulatory Judgement: 17 December 2025 (17 December 2025)

No consumer grade yet. That judgement was a stability check of Vivid's governance and finances. It did not assess Vivid against the consumer standards, and the regulator lists its consumer grade as not yet assessed.^[1] A governance grade measures how the organisation is run, not the state of any home or how repairs and complaints are handled; those are what the consumer standards cover.

No regulatory notice in force. There is no regulatory notice — a formal published finding of a breach — currently in force against Vivid Housing Limited. The regulator's page for Vivid records one published in February 2018, which was removed in February 2019.^[2] Regulatory grades are reviewed from time to time and may change — the date above 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, Vivid 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.^[5]

Vivid's own repair timescales. Vivid sorts repairs into emergency, urgent and routine priorities, each with a published target time, which the disrepair page lists.^[8]

Safety and complaints. Vivid must also meet its gas, electrical and fire-safety duties, and handle complaints under the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code.

Where to report and complain. Report a repair to Vivid through its online account (opens in new tab) or by phone, and make a complaint through its two-stage process, set out on its complaints page (opens in new tab).^[9][11]