Private Rented Sector Ombudsman

A new, free redress scheme for private tenants created by the Renters' Rights Act 2025 — a route to complain about a landlord that sits alongside, not instead of, the First-tier Tribunal and the courts.

Is the Private Rented Sector Ombudsman running yet?

Not as a fully mandatory scheme. The government's implementation roadmap for the Renters' Rights Act 2025 points to mandatory landlord membership from 2028, once the Secretary of State is satisfied the service is ready. Check GOV.UK for the current implementation timetable, since these dates are set by secondary legislation and can move.

Will I have to pay to use the Ombudsman as a tenant?

No. Ombudsman schemes of this kind are typically free for the person bringing the complaint — the cost falls on landlords, who pay to be members. Always check the scheme's own published rules once it launches, rather than relying on assumptions carried over from other redress schemes.

What can the Ombudsman actually order a landlord to do?

Redress schemes of this type can typically order an apology, a change in landlord practice, and financial compensation for loss or distress caused by the landlord's failure. Ombudsman decisions do not carry the same substantive powers as a court or the First-tier Tribunal — for example, they will not evict a landlord's obligations under a Rent Repayment Order. The precise remedial powers will be set out in the Ombudsman's own rules once it is operational.

Do I have to use the Ombudsman before going to the First-tier Tribunal?

This depends on the type of dispute and the rules the scheme adopts once live. Some redress mechanisms expect a complaint to have gone through the landlord's own procedure and then the Ombudsman before more formal routes are used for certain issues; others, like Rent Repayment Order applications, go directly to the First-tier Tribunal regardless. Do not assume — check which route applies to your specific complaint once the Ombudsman scheme's rules are published.

What happens if my landlord refuses to join the Ombudsman scheme?

Once membership becomes mandatory, letting without joining is expected to be an offence, similar to how unlicensed letting is treated in selective licensing areas. The precise enforcement mechanism and penalties will be set out in the regulations bringing mandatory membership into force — check GOV.UK for the current position before relying on this.

Is the Ombudsman the same as the Housing Ombudsman?

No. The existing Housing Ombudsman Service deals with complaints against social landlords (councils and housing associations). The new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman created under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 is a separate scheme aimed specifically at private landlords and tenants.

Why a new Ombudsman, when tenants already have other routes

Before the Renters' Rights Act 2025, private tenants had no single, free complaints body equivalent to what social tenants already have through the Housing Ombudsman Service. If a private landlord ignored a complaint, a tenant's realistic options were largely limited to court action, or an application to the

for specific issues like a Rent Repayment Order.

The Private Rented Sector Ombudsman is intended to fill that gap — a lower-cost, less formal way of resolving disputes about things like poor communication, unresolved repairs, or a landlord's conduct, without needing to go to court or tribunal for every issue. Once mandatory, landlords who refuse to join are expected to face enforcement action, similar to other compliance failures under the Act.

Where the Ombudsman fits in the implementation timetable

• Local authorities gained new investigatory powers under the Act, ahead of the main tenancy reforms.
• Core tenancy reforms took effect, including the abolition of Section 21 no-fault evictions and the ban on rental bidding.
• The linked PRS Database (property portal) begins rolling out, with mandatory registration and an annual fee for landlords.
• Mandatory landlord membership of the Ombudsman is expected once government is satisfied the service is ready for delivery — check GOV.UK for the current date, as this is set out in a roadmap rather than fixed in the Act itself.

Once mandatory membership is in force, a tenant experiences ongoing repair issues and repeated poor communication from their landlord. After going through the landlord's own complaints process without a satisfactory outcome, the tenant escalates the complaint to the Ombudsman scheme, which can investigate and, where appropriate, direct an apology, a change in the landlord's practice, or compensation.

This differs from a Rent Repayment Order application, which goes directly to the First-tier Tribunal and can order repayment of rent for specific statutory breaches — the Ombudsman is a broader complaints route, not a replacement for tribunal or court remedies where those apply.

First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)

Rent Repayment Order

Renters' Rights Act 2025

Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025 — roadmap

Private Rented Sector Ombudsman — Renters' Rights Glossary

What the new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman is, when landlord membership becomes mandatory, and what it means for tenant complaints.