Housing complaints about to get easier

Housing complaints will be easier to resolve in future thanks to a new Housing Complaints Resolution Service announced in January. The government has been taking a long hard look at leasehold in recent months. Its package of new reforms aim to make the property market fairer and more transparent. As part of this, the Communities Secretary James Brokenshire plans to set up the new housing complaints system to give dissatisfied homeowners and tenants somewhere to go for help. The idea is to create a single point of contact when they can't resolve disputes over problems with their homes such as repairs and maintenance.

At the moment the housing market has a number of different complaints bodies, depending on what type of property you live in. This can make it difficult to find out where to go and who to talk to. By setting up a single housing complaints service for all residents no matter whether they rent or own their home the government hopes to help people avoid battling with their landlord or builder to resolve issues on their own. The new service is also expected to make it easier to claim compensation where it's owed. The Housing Complaints Resolution Service will be developed by a new Redress Reform Working Group made up of representatives from across the property market, working with industry and consumers.

At the moment, there is no obligation for landlords to register with a complaints system. This leaves  thousands of renters with no easy route to resolving a problem if their landlord refuses to act. In future, private landlords will be legally required to become members of a redress scheme with a fine of up to £5,000 if they fail to do so. New redress schemes are also on the cards to make it easier to lodge complaints about freeholders in relation to the management of leasehold property, park homes and student accommodation.

In the meantime, the first port of call whether you are a leaseholder or a renter is your  management company. At Ringley we are always here to help. We offer a service guarantee and always strive to handle complaints quickly and efficiently. Go to our website to find out more.