Housing Ombudsman Report Exposes Ealing Council Failures in Ealing 2026

• Key Points:
  • It has now come to light that Ealing Council has received 243 housing-related complaints from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, which amounts to 15.8 complaints per 1,000 council houses, more than three times the median of other similar sized landlords.
  • The Council had a rate of 88% maladministration, which is considerably high compared to the national rate of 62% and even 70% of similar sized landlords.
  • “Responsive repairs” was identified as the most important concern, with a 95% rate of maladministration, comprising all five cases of “severe maladministration” by the Ombudsman on issues of damp, mould and leaking problems.
  • £31,501 worth of compensation and compliance with 160 separate orders was imposed on Ealing Council by the Ombudsman, all of which the Council claims to have complied with within three months.
  • Councillors from the opposition parties of Liberal Democrat, including Councillor Gary Malcolm, and the Conservative party, including Councillor Julian Gallant, heavily criticized the local authority for its failures, while an official spokesperson from the Ealing Council said that a thorough review has been done and considerable progress made over the past year.

uk/local/ealing/">Ealing (West London Times) September 18, 2026 — A damning new report released by the Housing Ombudsman has revealed that the Labour-run Ealing Council has faced housing complaints at more than three times the rate recorded among comparable landlords across the United Kingdom. Published on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, as part of the Ombudsman’s Annual Complaints Review for 2025–26, the data shows that the watchdog received 243 cases concerning Ealing Council between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. This equates to 15.8 cases for every 1,000 council homes, starkly contrasting with the median of 5.2 cases per 1,000 homes for landlords of a similar size and housing stock type.

What Does the Housing Ombudsman Report Reveal About Maladministration Rates?

The findings highlight extensive issues within the local authority’s housing management, specifically noting an 88% maladministration rate across determinations. As reported by Leslie Bunder of Ealing.News, this figure has risen from 82% in the 2024–25 reporting period and remains just beneath the 89% high recorded in 2023–24. By comparison, the national average for maladministration stands at 62%, while peer landlords record an average of 70%. Furthermore, Ealing Council registered 4.7 maladministration findings for every 1,000 homes, nearly two and a half times the comparable national median of 1.9.

Which Housing Issues Triggered the Most Severe Findings?

Responsive repairs proved to be the most critical operational failure for the local authority. The Ombudsman identified maladministration in 95% of its responsive repairs findings, vastly outstripping the national rate of 72%. All five of the severe maladministration findings—the Ombudsman’s most serious category indicating a significant detrimental impact on a resident—directly concerned responsive repairs stemming from severe damp, mould, and unchecked water leaks.

The review detailed 15 findings associated with damp and mould, which included two severe maladministration rulings and 12 standard maladministration rulings. Additionally, all 10 findings regarding leaks were fully upheld by the watchdog, consisting of three severe maladministration findings and seven standard maladministration findings.

How Did the Council Handle Relations and Complaints?

Beyond physical maintenance, the report highlighted systemic breakdowns in communication and administrative compliance. The Ombudsman recorded 35 findings under the “managing relations” category, uncovering maladministration in 89% of them, compared to a 57% national benchmark. Furthermore, the local authority accumulated 32 complaint-handling findings, resulting in the issuance of a formal Complaint Handling Failure Order for failing to meet statutory Complaint Handling Code requirements.

What Financial Penalties and Corrective Orders Were Issued?

The report outlined a total of £31,501 in financial compensation allocated for Ealing Council tenants, which included £31,436 explicitly ordered by the Ombudsman and £65 recommended. More than £25,000 of this financial redress was directly tied to failures in responsive repairs. In total, the Ombudsman issued 160 statutory orders to the local authority, encompassing 70 compensation mandates, 40 formal apologies, and 24 directives requiring physical repair works, alongside mandatory staff training and policy reviews. According to the data, Ealing Council complied with all 160 orders within the mandated three-month window.

How Have Local Political Figures Responded?

The findings sparked sharp criticism from opposition leaders across the borough. Ealing Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Gary Malcolm told Ealing.News that the local authority had “again been shown to be failing,” adding that “if Ealing Council were a football team, it would have been relegated many times over, but sadly the manager still seems to be in place.”

Ealing Green Group leader Clare Welsby expressed deep concern over the figures. As reported by Leslie Bunder of Ealing.News, Councillor Welsby stated she was “shocked” by the 88% maladministration rate and argued that the data indicated “local failure within a system that is not working far more widely.”

Ealing Conservatives leader Councillor Julian Gallant similarly condemned the results. As noted by Ealing.News, Councillor Gallant told the publication:

“The 2025-2026 Housing Ombudsman Report isn’t exactly bedside reading but it should be keeping Labour wide awake. Levels of maladministration in dealing with maintenance complaints by social housing tenants are far too high and increasing.”

Adding to these remarks, Green Party councillor for South Acton, Councillor Husam Alharahsheh, emphasised the dual importance of housing construction and asset upkeep. He stated, as documented by Ealing.News:

“Recent figures from the Housing Ombudsman highlight ongoing challenges around repairs, damp and mould, and landlord-resident relations… As Ealing grows, we must ensure that investment in housing is matched by investment in quality, maintenance and resident services.”

What Is Ealing Council’s Official Response?

In response to the Ombudsman’s findings and inquiries from Ealing.News, an Ealing Council spokesperson maintained that the local authority had implemented a comprehensive internal review of its housing services over the preceding 12 months.

The spokesperson stated to Ealing.News:

“Ealing Council is committed to providing safe, high-quality homes and services for our tenants. We have undertaken a comprehensive review of our housing services to understand the issues and ensure the necessary improvements are delivered and sustained.”

The council representative added that significant strides had been made in complaint processing, compliance metrics, and adherence to Awaab’s Law, though they acknowledged that further operational enhancement remains necessary. However, the council’s formal response did not directly address why its specific maladministration rate reached 88% or whether it acknowledged underlying systemic failings.

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Background of the Particular Development

The Housing Ombudsman Service operates as an independent public body in England designed to investigate complaints from tenants and leaseholders regarding social landlords, including local housing authorities and housing associations. Over recent years, legislative shifts—such as the introduction of stricter regulatory frameworks, the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, and Awaab’s Law—have placed intense public and political scrutiny on social housing providers regarding damp, mould, and maintenance backlogs.

For Ealing Council, which manages a housing stock of over 15,000 homes, historic maintenance pressures, funding constraints, and rising tenant demand have converged, leaving its responsive repair workflows vulnerable to intense regulatory oversight and public criticism.

How This Development Can Affect Tenants and Local Governance

This scathing Housing Ombudsman report is expected to exert immediate pressure on Ealing Council’s leadership, forcing accelerated structural reforms in its property maintenance and tenant communication channels. For the particular audience of Ealing Council social housing tenants and leaseholders, this development could translate into more proactive monitoring, quicker repair turnarounds, and greater transparency as the local authority attempts to recover its reputation.

However, it may also lead to heightened anxiety among residents currently experiencing unresolved maintenance issues, as they navigate a strained housing system trying to correct deep-seated administrative backlogs. Politically, these findings will likely become a central battleground in local governance debates, driving opposition parties to demand stricter accountability and regular public auditing of the council’s housing department.