For the first time, all private landlords in England will be required to join a formal redress scheme. The PRS Landlord Ombudsman is being introduced under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 as part of Phase 2, alongside the PRS Database. The Ombudsman will provide tenants with a free, independent route to resolve complaints about their landlord without going through the courts. This article explains how the scheme will work, what tenants can complain about, what the Ombudsman can order, and what landlords need to do to prepare.
Why a Landlord Ombudsman?
Social housing tenants already have access to the Housing Ombudsman. Tenants using letting agents can complain to agent redress schemes like the Property Ombudsman or Property Redress Scheme. But private tenants renting directly from a landlord have had no equivalent. The only route for resolving disputes has been through the courts, which is expensive, slow, and inaccessible for many tenants.
The Renters' Rights Act closes that gap. The PRS Landlord Ombudsman will provide a fast, free alternative to court proceedings for tenant complaints. Membership will be mandatory for all PRS landlords, including those who use a managing agent to run their property. (Source: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act, GOV.UK, November 2025.)
When does it launch?
The Ombudsman will be introduced after the PRS Database is established. The government's implementation roadmap sets out a two-stage process. In the first stage, which will happen at least 12 to 18 months before mandatory membership, the Secretary of State will appoint a scheme administrator to run the service. The government has indicated that the existing Housing Ombudsman Service is the most likely candidate, which would create a single redress service covering both social and private tenants. (Source: Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025 roadmap, GOV.UK, November 2025.)
In the second stage, landlords will be required to become members of the scheme. The government expects this to happen in 2028, once the service has had time to scale up and the Secretary of State is confident it is ready. Landlords will be given sufficient advance notice before mandatory membership takes effect. (Source: Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025 roadmap, GOV.UK.)
What can tenants complain about?
The types of complaint the Ombudsman will consider are deliberately not listed in the Act itself, giving the service discretion to assess individual circumstances. Broadly, the Ombudsman will handle complaints about landlord actions, inactions, or behaviours that have caused harm or inconvenience to the tenant. (Source: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act, GOV.UK.)
This is expected to include disrepair and maintenance failures, communication failures or unacceptable delays in responding to tenant requests, unlawful fees or charges, poor management practices, and failure to comply with statutory obligations.
The Ombudsman will accept complaints from prospective, current, and former tenants. This is an important point — the scheme covers the whole rental journey, not just the period of an active tenancy. A landlord will be required to remain a member for a reasonable period after they stop being a landlord. (Source: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act, GOV.UK.)
How the complaints process works
Before approaching the Ombudsman, a tenant must first raise the issue directly with their landlord and allow a reasonable opportunity for resolution. This is a critical point for self-managing landlords: you need a clear, documented complaints procedure so that issues are recorded and you can demonstrate you attempted to resolve them. (Source: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act, GOV.UK.)
If the issue remains unresolved, the tenant can refer the complaint to the Ombudsman free of charge. The Ombudsman will investigate independently, requesting evidence from both the tenant and the landlord. Landlords will be required to engage and provide documentation within specified time limits. Failing to respond is itself a breach. (Source: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act, GOV.UK.)
If the Ombudsman finds that the landlord acted unreasonably or unprofessionally, it can order the landlord to take or stop taking a specific action, issue a formal apology or explanation, and pay financial compensation to the tenant. These determinations are legally binding on the landlord. (Source: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act, GOV.UK.)
The Ombudsman will also have provision for early-stage mediation at the landlord's request, providing a less adversarial route to resolution before a formal determination.
What happens if a landlord does not join?
Local councils will be able to take enforcement action against landlords who fail to join the scheme, or against anyone who markets a property where the landlord is not a member. The penalty structure mirrors the PRS Database: up to £7,000 for an initial breach, rising to up to £40,000 or criminal prosecution for continued or repeated breaches. (Source: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act, GOV.UK.)
Tenants can also seek rent repayment orders against landlords who persistently fail to join the Ombudsman scheme. (Source: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act, GOV.UK.)
Non-compliance with an Ombudsman determination can result in expulsion from the scheme, which triggers further local authority enforcement action. There will be a route for landlords to rejoin if they take the necessary steps to become compliant. (Source: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act, GOV.UK.)
What about complaints involving letting agents?
If a complaint involves both a landlord and a letting agent, the Act allows the PRS Ombudsman to conduct joint investigations with existing agent redress schemes and issue joint decisions. The landlord and agent remain responsible for their own actions and the respective services they have agreed to provide. (Source: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act, GOV.UK.)
This means the Ombudsman does not replace the existing agent redress schemes. It sits alongside them, with a mechanism for coordination when fault lies with both parties.
Why this matters for self-managing landlords specifically
If you use a letting agent, your agent likely already has a complaints procedure and is a member of an agent redress scheme. But the Ombudsman obligation falls on the landlord directly, not the agent. Self-managing landlords who currently handle tenant communications informally — by text, phone, or verbal agreement — will need to formalise how they record and respond to complaints.
The Ombudsman is not a threat to landlords who manage their properties well. It provides a faster and cheaper alternative to court, enables early resolution before disputes escalate, and creates a structured way to demonstrate that a complaint was handled properly. For self-managing landlords, the key preparation is putting a written complaints procedure in place and keeping clear records of every tenant communication.
How to prepare now
The Ombudsman will not require sign-up until 2028, but the habits that will protect you in an Ombudsman investigation are the same ones you should be building now. Establish a written complaints procedure. Respond to all tenant communications in writing and keep dated records. If a tenant reports a maintenance issue, acknowledge it in writing, record what you did about it and when, and keep evidence of the outcome.
LLCR tracks your compliance deadlines and keeps your safety certificates in one place. When the Ombudsman goes live, having a clear record of your compliance position — showing that certificates were current and renewals were handled on time — will be your first line of defence if a complaint is ever escalated.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Check if your property is compliant now using LLCR's free compliance checker.