L&Q complaints record: ratings and how to complain

L&Q (London & Quadrant Housing Trust) is one of the largest housing associations in England, managing tens of thousands of homes across London and the South East. By published Housing Ombudsman decisions, Landlord Record holds 989 determinations involving L&Q, including 914 adverse findings and 220 severe maladministration findings. Across those decisions, the Ombudsman has ordered £589,052 in compensation.

The Housing Ombudsman Service is a free, independent dispute-resolution body that investigates complaints about social landlords. Its published decisions are released under the Open Government Licence and form the most authoritative public record of how a landlord has performed when a complaint reaches a formal determination. This guide explains what L&Q's record means, how to read its maladministration rate and compensation total, and how to complain if you are an L&Q resident.

Every figure on this page is drawn from published Ombudsman decisions at build time. If a figure is missing, it means the query did not return it — we do not substitute manual estimates.

L&Q complaint record at a glance

The table below summarises L&Q's published Ombudsman record. Every number is queried at build time from the Landlord Record database.

What these numbers mean

Published decisions are formal determinations the Housing Ombudsman has published and released under the Open Government Licence. They do not include every informal complaint — only cases that reached a formal Ombudsman determination. Many complaints are resolved by the landlord before they reach the Ombudsman, so the published count understates total complaint volume.

Adverse findings mean the Ombudsman found maladministration, partial maladministration or severe maladministration on at least one part of the complaint. A single decision can contain several outcomes, so a decision may be counted as adverse even if the Ombudsman found no maladministration on some heads. Severe maladministration is the most serious finding and usually involves prolonged failure, repeated failings or significant impact on the resident.

The maladministration rate is the share of published decisions that resulted in an adverse finding. It is often a fairer way to compare landlords of different sizes than raw counts, because a larger landlord naturally manages more homes and therefore generates more complaints that reach the Ombudsman. A rate of 50% would mean half of all published decisions resulted in an adverse finding; a rate of 10% would mean the opposite.

Total compensation ordered is the sum of financial redress the Ombudsman ordered across L&Q's indexed decisions. It reflects both the number of decisions and the severity of the failings found. A landlord with many decisions and a high rate will tend to have a higher total than a smaller landlord with the same rate, so the total should be read alongside the decision count.

Notable determinations

These recent published decisions illustrate the types of complaints the Ombudsman has determined against L&Q. They are selected from the most recent determinations in our index and are not a complete list. Reading the summaries can help you understand the complaint themes that recur — for example repairs, complaint handling, or damp and mould.

These decisions are a sample, not a pattern proof. One adverse finding does not mean the landlord is failing across its entire stock, and one no-maladministration finding does not mean there are no problems. The value of reading decisions is to understand the specific facts, the Ombudsman's reasoning, and the orders made — not to draw a broad verdict from a handful of cases.

How L&Q compares

L&Q has 989 published Ombudsman decisions in the Landlord Record index. Across all landlords, there are 16,224 decisions. L&Q's 914 adverse findings place it among the landlords with significant published complaint volume.

Raw decision counts favour larger landlords because they manage more homes and therefore generate more complaints that reach the Ombudsman. The maladministration rate is often a fairer comparison: it shows the share of published decisions that resulted in an adverse finding. L&Q's rate is 92%. You can compare this with other landlords on the overall rankings or the worst housing associations page.

Compensation totals also scale with size. L&Q has had £589,052 ordered across its indexed decisions. A larger landlord can accumulate a higher total simply because it has more decisions, so the total should be read alongside the decision count and the rate.

If you are researching L&Q before moving, do not use this page as your only source. Look at the landlord's own performance information, local tenant feedback where reliable, the type of housing you need, and the live Landlord Record profile. A severe-findings ranking is a useful warning signal, but it is not a substitute for checking the actual homes, services and complaint history relevant to you.

How to complain about L&Q

If you are an L&Q resident and you want to make a complaint, start with L&Q's own complaints process. Put your complaint in writing, keep copies, and ask for it to be logged as a formal complaint so it follows the landlord's procedure. Landlords must handle complaints in line with the Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code, which sets out stages and time limits for responses.

If you are unhappy with L&Q's final response, or the landlord does not respond within a reasonable time, you can escalate to the Housing Ombudsman. You can do this directly — you no longer need a "designated person" to refer you first. The Ombudsman will check the complaint is within its jurisdiction, gather evidence from you and the landlord, and reach a determination on each part of the complaint.

Tips that help your complaint

• Put everything in writing and keep dated copies of letters, emails and photographs.
• Be specific about what went wrong, when you reported it, and the impact it had on you.
• Say clearly what you want the landlord to do to put things right.
• Note the dates of the landlord's responses so you can show its process is exhausted.
• If the issue involves repairs or damp, keep records of inspections, failed appointments and any temporary fixes.

You can also view L&Q's full landlord record on Landlord Record to see the pattern of past decisions and the complaint themes that appear most often. This can help you understand whether your issue matches a recurring pattern in the published determinations.

For a step-by-step explanation of the complaints process, see our guide to complaining about your landlord . For a broader view of which housing associations have the most complaints, see which housing association has the most complaints .

What happens after an Ombudsman finding against L&Q

When the Housing Ombudsman finds maladministration, it makes orders the landlord must comply with. These commonly include an apology, financial compensation, completing repairs or another specific action, reviewing a policy, changing a process, and staff training. The Ombudsman monitors whether the landlord complies with its orders.

Compensation, where ordered, follows the Ombudsman's published remedies guidance. It reflects the severity and duration of the failing and its impact on the resident. It is not the same as court damages, and there is no fixed tariff. The Ombudsman decides each case on its own facts.

If you are an L&Q resident waiting for a determination, you can track the status through the Ombudsman. Once a decision is published, it becomes part of the public record and is included in Landlord Record's analysis.

Sources

• Housing Ombudsman Service — the official source for complaints guidance and published determinations.
• Make a complaint — how to bring a complaint to the Ombudsman.
• Complaint Handling Code — the code landlords must follow.