Guide
Clarion Housing complaints record & ratings (2026)
An independent, data-led review of Clarion Housing's published Housing Ombudsman decisions: adverse findings, severe maladministration, compensation and how to complain.
Landlord Record is independent and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the Housing Ombudsman Service. We organise and analyse decisions published under the Open Government Licence.
Clarion Housing is one of England's largest housing associations. In published Housing Ombudsman determinations, Clarion has 925 decisions, 648 adverse findings, 31 severe maladministration findings, and £469,137 in total compensation ordered. Its maladministration rate is 70%.
Those numbers come from the Housing Ombudsman Service's published decision archive, structured and analysed by Landlord Record. They are not every complaint Clarion has ever received — they are the complaints that reached a formal, published Ombudsman determination. That makes the data precise but narrow. A landlord with more homes and more tenants will naturally generate more decisions than a smaller landlord, so raw volume should be read alongside rate and severity.
The current Landlord Record index holds 18,208 published decisions across 627 landlords. Source: Landlord Record analysis of Housing Ombudsman decisions (OGL v3.0).
Clarion Housing record snapshot
The table below summarises Clarion Housing's indexed profile. Every figure is drawn from the landlord record at build time; nothing is estimated or filled from external sources.
| Landlord | Clarion Housing Association Limited |
|---|---|
| Type | housing-association |
| Region | — |
| Homes owned | Not available |
| Published decisions | 925 |
| Adverse findings | 648 |
| Severe maladministration | 31 |
| Maladministration rate | 70% |
| Total compensation ordered | £469,137 |
Source: Landlord Record analysis of Housing Ombudsman decisions (OGL v3.0).
Notable determinations
The following decisions are drawn from Clarion Housing's published Ombudsman record. They are selected to show the range of issues, outcomes and orders that appear in the index. Reading the summaries gives a clearer picture of what the Ombudsman has found than any headline statistic alone.
Maladministration was found in the landlord's handling of damp and mould due to avoidable delays, gaps in records, and communication shortfalls that delayed works. Service failure was found in complaint handling for delayed responses and failure to fully address the resident's concerns. The landlord was ordered to apologise, pay £400 compensation, and provide a written action plan for the damp and mould repairs.
Categories: Responsive repairs, Health & safety
Compensation ordered: £400
The Ombudsman found service failure in the landlord's handling of the tenancy termination process (record-keeping and communication failings) and reasonable redress in its handling of the resident's credit refund request and of the complaint. The landlord was ordered to apologise and pay £100 for the termination failings; the £300 offered in its final complaint response was recommended to be paid to support the reasonable redress findings.
Categories: Occupancy rights, Financial, Information management
Compensation ordered: £100
The Ombudsman did not investigate the landlord's warning letter about the resident's visitor or its decision to place a risk marker on her record, as these had not been through the landlord's complaint procedure (outside jurisdiction). It found no maladministration in the landlord's handling of a bed bug infestation, but maladministration in its handling of the conduct of a member of staff and in its handling of the associated complaint, ordering a written apology and £250 compensation.
Categories: ASB, abuse & nuisance, Health & safety, Information management, Relations
Compensation ordered: £250
The resident complained about the landlord's handling of repairs to his kitchen cupboard doors (it would only replace the damaged doors with the nearest available match rather than all doors) and about the associated complaint. The Ombudsman found no maladministration on either head: the landlord's proposed repair met the standard in its repairs policy, and its complaint handling was appropriate to its policy, though it had offered £50 for the time taken to provide its stage 2 reply.
Categories: Responsive repairs, Relations
How Clarion Housing compares
Clarion Housing operates at scale. With a large portfolio homes and 925 published decisions, it is one of the most frequently decided landlords in the Housing Ombudsman archive. Raw volume is not the same as poor service, but it does mean Clarion's Ombudsman record is one of the most visible in the dataset.
The maladministration rate of 70% shows the share of Clarion's published decisions that contain at least one adverse finding. That is a useful comparator because it adjusts for the fact that larger landlords generate more decisions. A landlord with fewer decisions but a higher maladministration rate may have a more concentrated problem. A landlord with many decisions and a low rate may be performing well despite its scale.
Across the whole Landlord Record index, the average landlord has 29 published decisions. Clarion's total of 925 is well above that average, which is expected given its size. For the full picture across all landlords, see the worst landlords overall ranking.
Severe maladministration findings are the most important signal in the data. Clarion has 31 such findings. Severe maladministration reflects serious or prolonged failings, or a significant adverse impact on residents. It is the Ombudsman's strongest adverse outcome. Even a small number of severe findings can indicate systemic issues that warrant closer scrutiny.
Compensation tells a related story. Clarion has £469,137 in total compensation ordered across its indexed decisions. That figure includes every financial award the Ombudsman has ordered Clarion to pay. It does not include compensation that may have been offered informally or settled before a determination was published.
How to complain about Clarion Housing
If you are a Clarion Housing resident and you want to make a complaint, the process is the same as for any member landlord of the Housing Ombudsman. Start with a formal Stage 1 complaint in writing. Keep copies of everything and ask Clarion to log it formally. The landlord should respond within ten working days.
If the Stage 1 response does not resolve the issue, escalate to Stage 2. This is the final stage of Clarion's internal process. Once Stage 2 is complete — or if Clarion fails to respond within a reasonable time — you can take your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman. The Ombudsman service is free, independent and you no longer need a designated person to refer your complaint. For a step-by-step guide, read how to complain about a housing association .
Before you complain, it is worth checking Clarion's published Ombudsman record. You can view every indexed decision on Clarion Housing's landlord profile. Reading past decisions helps you understand whether your issue is part of a wider pattern and what remedies the Ombudsman has previously ordered.
You can also compare Clarion to other large housing associations in the worst housing associations league table, or see which housing associations have the most upheld findings in our which housing association has the most complaints guide.
Sources
- Housing Ombudsman Service — decisions archive
- Housing Ombudsman Service — Complaint Handling Code
- Legislation.gov.uk — for underlying housing and tenancy legislation
- GOV.UK — for social housing regulation and resident rights
This page is an information resource and does not constitute legal advice. If you need support with your complaint, free advice is available from Citizens Advice and Shelter.
Frequently asked questions
Is Clarion Housing a good landlord?
Whether Clarion Housing is a good landlord depends on what you measure. In published Housing Ombudsman determinations, Clarion has 648 adverse findings across 925 decisions, with a maladministration rate of 70%. That is a record of formal Ombudsman outcomes, not a complete customer-service score. It does not capture every repair request, internal complaint or informal dispute — only the cases that reached a published determination.
How do I complain about Clarion Housing?
Start by making a formal Stage 1 complaint to Clarion Housing in writing. Keep copies and ask for an acknowledgement. If you are not satisfied with the response, escalate to Stage 2 for a final review. Once Stage 2 is complete — or if Clarion does not respond within a reasonable time — you can take your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman. The service is free and you no longer need a designated person. See our guide to complaining about a housing association for the full steps.
How many complaints does Clarion Housing have?
Clarion Housing has 925 published Housing Ombudsman decisions in the Landlord Record index, of which 648 contain adverse findings. Those are formal Ombudsman determinations, not the total number of complaints Clarion receives. Many complaints are resolved internally and never reach a published decision.
Is Clarion Housing in trouble?
Clarion Housing has 31 severe maladministration findings in published Ombudsman decisions. Severe maladministration is the Ombudsman's most serious finding, but it is not the same as regulatory enforcement by the Regulator of Social Housing. A landlord can have adverse Ombudsman findings and still be compliant with wider regulatory standards. The Ombudsman data shows where formal determinations have found serious service failure; it does not prove the landlord is in regulatory trouble.
What is Clarion Housing's maladministration rate?
In the Landlord Record index, Clarion Housing's maladministration rate is 70%. That means 70% of Clarion's published decisions contain at least one adverse finding. The remainder were either no maladministration, outside jurisdiction, or resolved through mediation.
Where can I see Clarion Housing's Ombudsman decisions?
You can view Clarion Housing's full decision history on its landlord profile page. The profile lists every published determination in the index, including outcomes, categories, compensation and orders.