Wigan 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, or "service failure" for a lesser one.

The 2025/26 performance report. The Ombudsman decided 10 Wigan cases in 2025/26. Its rate counts service failure too: 25 of the 34 findings — 1 severe maladministration, 15 maladministration and 9 service failure — a rate of 74%.^[1] That compares with a national rate of 62% and 70% for landlords of a similar size and type.^[1]

Against its size. The Ombudsman received 3.4 cases per 1,000 Wigan homes, against a national median of 5.4 and 5.2 for similar landlords. It recorded 1.2 maladministration findings per 1,000 homes, against medians of 1.5 and 1.9.^[1]

What the findings were about. Responsive repairs made up 16 of the findings, with failings found in 81% of them, against 72% nationally and 78% for council landlords. Two of three findings on leaks were maladministration; of two on damp and mould, one was service failure and one found no failing. Complaint handling was the top sub-category, with 8 findings.^[1]

Orders and compensation. It made 47 orders; all 47 that fell due in the year were met. It ordered £6,075 in compensation and recommended £50 more.^[1]

The trend. The Ombudsman's figures put the council's rate at 80% across 7 decided cases in 2023/24, and 90% across 4 in 2024/25.^[1] From October 2025 the Ombudsman examined complaint handling in every case, which it says affects how the 2025/26 rates compare with earlier years.^[8]

A severe finding on a temporary move. In a case it published in November 2025, the Ombudsman found severe maladministration after the council refused a tenant a temporary move; the resident lived in a caravan as a result. An independent review it ordered found 37 temporary moves starting between January 2023 and June 2025, the longest lasting 888 days.^[9] The council said it acknowledged the finding, and that it now records every decision on a temporary move and has strengthened its oversight of requests.^[9]

The council's own figures. In its 2025/26 survey, 39.8% of tenants who said they had complained were satisfied with how their complaint was handled.^[5] Its annual complaints report records 1,023 stage 1 housing complaints in 2025/26, 68.4% closed within target, and 178 escalated to stage 2.^[11]

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 larger landlords in turn, giving each a consumer grade from C1 (the strongest) to C4 once it has inspected them.

No grade yet, and a notice in place. The regulator has not published a consumer standards grade for Wigan Council. Its only published decision on the council is a regulatory notice — a formal finding of a breach — and it shows no update or withdrawal.^[3] This is the position as at the date this page was last checked, and may change.

The 2023 regulatory notice. On 14 December 2023 the regulator found the council in breach of the Home Standard because it was not meeting all its health and safety testing duties.^[3] The council had reported that:

• gas safety inspections had been overdue for more than 1,000 homes, since reduced to around 700
• more than 60 fire risk assessments were overdue, with more than 800 fire safety actions outstanding, over 150 of them high risk
• around 275 homes did not have valid electrical inspection certificates
• around 10,000 carbon monoxide detectors still needed fitting.^[3]

The regulator concluded that "there was the potential for serious detriment to Wigan Council’s tenants".^[3] It said it would keep its use of its statutory powers under regular review.^[3]

“there was the potential for serious detriment to Wigan Council’s tenants”^[3]

Regulator of Social Housing, Regulatory Notice: Wigan Council (14 December 2023) (14 December 2023)

The council's response and latest figures. The regulator recorded that the council had put in place a programme to put these failures right.^[3] The council's tenant satisfaction measures for 2025/26 report that 94.6% of homes needing gas safety checks had them all done, down from 95.8% in 2024/25.^[5][6] They also report that every home needing a fire risk assessment had one, and that 9.2% of homes did not meet the Decent Homes Standard.^[5] These are the council's own figures.

What the notice means for your home. The notice is about the council's systems across all its homes, not the state of any one home. If your home has damp, mould, a leak or an unfixed repair, your rights are separate and still apply.

Whatever a landlord's track record, its legal duties are the same — and they are strong. The council manages its own homes. Its in-house team, Wigan and Leigh Building Services, has carried out most repairs, with gas work done by a contractor.^[12]

Repairs. Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the 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, including councils, to investigate hazards such as damp and mould and make homes safe — the disrepair page sets them out.^[15]

Safety and complaints. The council must also meet its gas, electrical and fire safety duties — the duties the regulator's 2023 notice concerned — and handle complaints under the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code.^[3]

Repair targets. The council's repairs policy sets a target time for each type of repair; the council says it is rolling the policy out during 2026/27. The disrepair page gives the targets.^[18]

Where to report and complain. Tenants can report repairs through the council's repairs page (opens in new tab) and complain through its online complaint form (opens in new tab) or by email to customercare@wigan.gov.uk; the disrepair page gives the phone line and the council's two-stage complaints process.^[20][23]