We welcome the ombudsman’s decision to increase the levels of compensation for the most serious service failings, but even these are inadequate. If the Government thinks tenants in the private rented sector (PRS) should be entitled to compensation of up to £25,000, it cannot argue otherwise for social housing tenants. To tolerate a situation in which social housing tenants are not receiving the same levels of compensation as tenants in the PRS would amount to blatant discrimination. Significa...

We welcome the ombudsman’s decision to increase the levels of compensation for the most serious service failings, but even these are inadequate. If the Government thinks tenants in the private rented sector (PRS) should be entitled to compensation of up to £25,000, it cannot argue otherwise for social housing tenants. To tolerate a situation in which social housing tenants are not receiving the same levels of compensation as tenants in the PRS would amount to blatant discrimination. Significantly increasing levels of compensation should also help to concentrate the minds of boards and senior management teams on improving service standards. Type: conclusion | Number: 33 | Paragraph: 125 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: In resolving a dispute, it is an Ombudsman’s role to put the complainant back in the position they would have been in had the service failure not occurred. We therefore firmly believe that non-financial remedies, as well as financial, are an importa