Lewisham residents are experiencing low satisfaction with the council's handling of housing complaints, with only 37% of tenants reporting satisfaction with the process. This figure, revealed in a report to the Housing Select Committee, highlights a significant gap between the council's efforts to improve services and residents' actual experiences.
The committee heard that while progress has been made in addressing damp and mould and improving complaint handling, further work is needed to ensure consistent evidence of improvement and resident satisfaction. The report detailed that over 2,800 Stage 1 complaints were received in the 2025/26 period, 18% above the Housemark average. Key themes identified included damp, mould, leaks, outstanding repairs, contractor delays, missed appointments, and poor communication.
To address the root causes of these complaints, Lewisham Housing is strengthening contractor management, improving planned maintenance for issues like roof leaks and brickwork, and targeting investment based on stock condition surveys. A holistic approach to damp and mould is being adopted, particularly for vulnerable households, by linking response teams with planned maintenance. The council is also working to improve communication and resident engagement, with plans to add videos to casework for easier understanding and proposing a working group with residents to gather feedback. Addressing non-decency levels in homes, such as improving EPC levels and insulation, is also a focus, as this is identified as a significant driver of damp and mould.
Councillor Nadja Penfold, Chair of the committee, noted the importance of residents signing off on complaint resolutions, a new initiative being implemented. This aims to ensure that a complaint is never fully closed until the resident confirms their satisfaction. If residents are not satisfied with the initial resolution, they can escalate complaints from Stage 1 to Stage 2, and subsequently to the Housing Ombudsman. The new signing-off initiative is expected to provide more robust evidence of resident satisfaction and potentially reduce the number of cases escalating to the Ombudsman.
Lisa Keating, Director of Housing, Resident Engagement and Services, acknowledged that there is a long way to go. She outlined next steps, including strengthening monthly learning reporting to include root causes and completion evidence, improving resident-facing updates, and rolling out further complaint handling training. The council is also focusing on improving complaint classification and reporting, and tracking Ombudsman cases. The council is aiming to improve tenant satisfaction with complaint handling, with the Director noting that changes in escalation and satisfaction may be seen after about six to nine months, though a specific target rate and definitive timeline beyond this are not yet stated.
The council plans to measure 'consistent evidence of improvement' through strengthened monthly learning reporting, which will include root causes, named owners, deadlines, and completion evidence, moving from 'evidence of activity to evidence of impact'. Resident sign-off on complaint resolutions is a key new initiative. The council is also tracking Ombudsman cases, monitoring determinations, compensation, and recommendations. Resident-facing updates will include 'you said / we did' information to show residents what has changed as a result of their feedback. Tenant satisfaction measures (TSM) are collected independently and published yearly, providing a benchmark against other councils. Key performance indicators (KPIs), such as the reduction in open damp/mould cases and hazards, are also being monitored weekly and monthly, though specific percentage targets are to be confirmed.
In terms of capacity and workload, Lewisham Housing received over 2,800 Stage 1 complaints in the 2025/26 period, 18% above the Housemark average. There were 1,415 new damp mould cases from November 2025 to June 2026, with 2,186 overall open damp and mould cases as of June 2026. Demand for damp and mould intervention has remained high, partly due to increased resident awareness and improved reporting. Access to properties remains a significant barrier, with 43% of damp and mould works in progress awaiting access. To handle the volume of complaints more effectively, the council has increased contractor capacity through partnerships with United Infrastructure, Elkins, and Plentific. Additional management resource is being brought in, and specialist consultancy support is being engaged to prepare for Phase 2 of Awaab's Law. A new service structure is being implemented to reduce reliance on agency workers, and the council is committed to bringing in additional resources if needed to tackle the backlog. Recruitment challenges have affected service continuity, but the council is carrying a number of vacancies for its direct labour force.
The council is tracking Ombudsman cases, with determinations informing service improvements. Key findings and outcomes are discussed in monthly meetings, and lessons learned are disseminated across teams. Lewisham saw a significant reduction in severe maladministrations from around 31 in 2024/25 to about five in 2025/26. The Housing Ombudsman's 'Learning from repairs' report highlighted Lewisham among other landlords, focusing on themes around appointments, vulnerabilities, and customer focus. The council is improving case classification and exception reporting, strengthening ownership and accountability, and enhancing the quality of complaint responses to ensure they are empathetic and address all aspects of a complaint. Efforts are also being made to ensure follow-through on promises made to residents.
Further details on the council's approach to housing complaints can be found in the Public reports pack for the Housing Select Committee.
