Consultation on our Business Plan 2026-27

Healthier homes, fairer services, and trusting relationships

Our 2026-27 Business Plan consultation is now open. We are seeking views from landlords, residents, and the wider sector on our strategic approach and priorities for the year ahead.

The consultation runs from Thursday 5 March to Thursday 26 March 2026. It is an opportunity to shape how the Ombudsman responds to record demand and supports earlier resolution of complaints.

We have seen an almost 500% rise in cases over 5 years, reaching over 13,000 cases in 2025-26. To respond to this demand, our Business Plan sets out clear targets for 2026-27:

• 90% of high-risk cases determined within 4 months
• 50% of cases determined within 6 months
• no case older than 16 months at year end

We have already reduced our cost per case by 27% since 2023-24 and we are targeting a further reduction in 2026-27. We complete over 800 investigations a month and are heading towards 1,000, with 30% more investigations completed in 2024-25 compared to the previous year.

The Business Plan also sets out a 3-year caseload reduction strategy focused on:

• faster and more appropriate case routes
• improved landlord complaint handling to prevent complaints escalating to the Ombudsman
• reducing the age of the oldest open cases
• increasing efficiency to lower the cost per case

Subject to consultation and approval by the Secretary of State, the 2026-27 membership fee will rise from £8.03 to £10.56 per home from 1 April 2026. We have held our membership rate for 2 years despite an 87% rise in demand over this period.

We are using reserves and funds set aside from previous years to keep the increase as low as possible. We are committed to reducing the fee where we can in future years.