Wandsworth Council has experienced a dramatic surge in housing complaints, with figures for the 2025-26 period showing a 130% increase compared to the previous year. The council's Cabinet met on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, to discuss the Housing Management Annual Complaints Report, which revealed a total of 759 complaints were handled at stages one and two, a significant rise from the 329 complaints received in 2024-25.
The substantial increase in complaints is attributed to several factors, including greater resident awareness of their rights, an increased national focus on housing standards, and more accessible complaints processes. The Housing Ombudsman Complaints Handling Code becoming statutory has further empowered residents, and there has been a decrease in complaints being wrongly categorised as service requests. The most common reasons for these complaints are dissatisfaction with the quality and timeliness of repairs, issues with complaint handling and response delays, and communication problems with contractors and council staff, particularly concerning leaks, damp, and mould. Dissatisfaction with major works schemes, including their timeframes, quality, and contractor conduct, also contributed.
Despite the rise in complaints, the report highlighted an improvement in the timeliness of resolutions. Stage 1 complaints are defined as those where a response is issued within 10 working days of acknowledgement, and Stage 2 complaints are normally completed within 20 working days. In 2025/26, 77% of Stage 1 complaints and 85% of Stage 2 complaints were completed on time.
However, the number of cases decided by the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) increased by 32%, with an overall maladministration rate of 65%. This rate, while lower than the previous year's 82%, indicates systemic weaknesses. The HOS identified primary causes of maladministration including issues with repairs management (delays, poor quality, damp and mould), inadequate communication and record-keeping with residents, inconsistent complaint handling and oversight, poor data quality, fragmented governance, and insufficient support for vulnerable residents.
To address these systemic weaknesses, Wandsworth Council is implementing a wide-ranging improvement programme through its Housing Improvement and Transformation Plan and a dedicated Section 49 action plan. These actions include strengthening management oversight of repairs, contractors, and Resident Management Organisations (RMOs), improving staff training on complaint handling, and reviewing repairs processes and escalation procedures. The council is also enhancing governance and performance reporting arrangements, centralising complaints data for a single source of truth, and improving data assurance. A new standalone Housing Management Complaints Policy and revised complaint categories aligned with HOS requirements are being developed to provide greater clarity and support improved performance analysis.
Councillor Matthew Corner, Cabinet Member for Housing, acknowledged the challenges, stating, The council has a huge temporary accommodation spend crisis, and this isn't just a financial cost management issue. It's a very human issue as well, and there's a lot of sad stories about people who have been let down through their experience in temporary accommodation.
He added that the council is spending nearly £40 million per year on temporary accommodation, a figure that has seen a 700% increase since the start of the decade.
Beyond improving complaint handling, the council's strategy for reducing its reliance on temporary accommodation is part of a wider homelessness transformation programme.
This programme aims to shift the operating model from reactive crisis management to earlier prevention, stronger triage, faster move-on from temporary accommodation, and better use of the private rented sector. The adoption of the Private Rented Sector Offer (PRSO) Policy is a key measure, aiming to discharge the council's main housing duty by offering private rented accommodation, which is expected to generate a net annual saving of £650,000 in the first year by reducing temporary accommodation costs.
The report was discussed at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Further details can be found in the Public reports pack and the Agenda frontsheet.
