Housing association
Performance summary based on published UK Housing Ombudsman determinations. Figures reflect only complaints that reached a formal determination and are not a complete measure of service.
Published determinations
Decisions with an adverse finding
Most serious findings
Total across decisions
Decisions against
Count of outcomes reached across complaint heads in 98 published decisions.
Optivo's maladministration rate (64%) is broadly in line with the average for housing association (64%) across published Ombudsman determinations.
202203710 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure in the landlord's response to ASB reports (no risk assessment, no action plan, no management move assessment) and in its complaint handling (delay convening panel, lack of learning).…
202205013 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration in the landlord's handling of the resident's rehousing request, reports of mouse infestation, repair requests, ASB reports, and complaint handling, plus service failure in handling…
202212704 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure in the landlord's handling of anti-social behaviour and noise reports (delays in initial action and failure to investigate noise transference), maladministration in its handling of…
202229428 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure in the landlord's handling of ASB reports and its complaint handling, and maladministration in its record keeping, ordering £200 compensation and a mediation offer.
202123226 Housing association
The Ombudsman found that the landlord offered reasonable redress for its poor handling of the resident's complaint about a reduced disabled parking bay. The landlord failed to manage expectations and took excessive time…
202119517 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration in the landlord's handling of the resident's reports of several repair issues. The landlord exceeded reasonable timeframes for completing repairs, particularly to the exterior and…
202205984 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure in the landlord's handling of flooring repairs, which took 217 working days to complete with poor communication and record keeping. Maladministration was found in the landlord's…
202229415 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration in the landlord's handling of mould remediation works, including a failure to urgently decant a household with a severely asthmatic child, and service failure in its complaint…
202216115 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's handling of a pest infestation, the resident's decant to temporary accommodation, or reports of damaged belongings. The complaint about the original kitchen…
202127594 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration for the landlord's failure to provide clear information about cyclical works to a leaseholder, and service failure for a 3-month delay in responding to the resident's solicitor…
202125082 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's communication with a shared-ownership resident about fire safety concerns in their block, or in its complaint handling. The landlord provided regular updates…
202201518 Housing association
The Ombudsman determined that all four complaint heads (property safety/unsuitability, outstanding repairs, mice infestation, and rent arrears concerns) are outside its jurisdiction under paragraph 42(e) of the Scheme…
202221560 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration in the landlord's handling of unannounced communal area works, including poor record-keeping and inconsistent messaging about notice, and in its complaint handling, ordering £550…
202216980 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration by Optivo (now Southern Housing) for delays of over a year in repairing a communal entry door, over 7 months of inaction on communal TV aerial repairs, and poor complaint handling…
202206632 Housing association
The Ombudsman found the complaint about service charge level was outside its jurisdiction. Regarding communal repairs (which were the freeholder's responsibility), the landlord offered reasonable redress (£575…
202219051 Housing association
The landlord was found to have maladministration for its handling of boiler issues after moving a resident into a void property without a working boiler, leaving a family with a disabled child without adequate heating…
202114079 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration by Optivo (now Southern Housing) for its handling of a resident's queries about service charges and estate management, and for its complaint handling. The landlord took an…
202113690 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration in the landlord's handling of a shared-ownership leaseholder's requests for information (including a grey cladding report), an action plan for service charges and fire safety,…
202205605 Housing association
The Ombudsman found severe maladministration for the landlord's handling of repairs including damp, mould, draughty windows and a gable end wall, with delays exceeding 24 months, a dismissive attitude, and failure to…
202114130 Housing association
The Ombudsman found the noise transference complaint was outside jurisdiction as it had been subject to legal proceedings. The landlord's handling of ASB reports amounted to service failure due to missing risk…
202211719 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's handling of the resident's report of carbon monoxide poisoning, as the landlord acted reasonably by completing annual gas safety checks, making the boiler safe,…
202218356 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration by the landlord in its handling of the resident's reports of damp and mould. The landlord carried out multiple inspections, arranged recommended works, provided dehumidifiers,…
202214149 Housing association
Maladministration for poor handling of ASB reports. Landlord failed to communicate, follow its ASB procedure, or keep promises made during complaints process. Resident was elderly with terminal cancer. Ordered to pay…
202212113 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration in the landlord's handling of the resident's reports of anti-social behaviour and in its record keeping. The landlord failed to follow its agreed action plan, delayed providing…
202116366 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration in the landlord's handling of the resident's request for sound insulation. While the landlord was entitled to refuse the request, it failed to properly process noise reports through…
202109843 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration for the landlord's handling of repairs after the resident moved in, due to poor record-keeping and an 8-month delay completing agreed ceiling repairs. No maladministration was found…
202211711 Housing association
The landlord initially refused a mutual exchange application claiming the property was supported housing, but after Ombudsman intervention it offered £1,000 compensation and agreed not to withhold permission, which the…
202208179 Housing association
Maladministration for failing to support the resident despite known vulnerabilities and serious ASB impact. No maladministration for the blocked walkway. Service failure for not accommodating the resident's hearing…
202215116 Housing association
The Ombudsman found that the landlord offered reasonable redress for its handling of a water leak (where it was not responsible for the leak but failed to make an insurance claim on the resident's behalf) and for its…
202220933 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration over lengthy delays and poor communication in bathroom repairs, and service failure in complaint handling, ordering £700 compensation and a further post-inspection.
202225263 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure where an administrative error caused a contractor to enter the resident's occupied property with a key, despite a chain being fitted; the landlord investigated thoroughly and took…
202111410 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure in the landlord's response to repairs for a front door, wall and window damaged by police forced entry, due to failing to account for the resident's vulnerabilities and poor…
202208944 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's response to the resident's reports about rusted/painted radiators, as the landlord reasonably determined the issue was cosmetic and the resident's decorating…
202203569 Housing association
Maladministration for ASB handling (no formal case opened) and reasonable adjustments failures (repeated wrong format correspondence). Out-of-hours complaint resolved by landlord's redress. No maladministration on staff…
202125917 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure by the landlord in its handling of the resident's concerns about CCTV installed by the local authority in a communal area, due to poor communication and failure to keep promised…
202222168 Housing association
The resident made repeated requests for an urgent management move to larger accommodation on medical grounds, which the landlord declined as they did not meet its policy criteria. The Ombudsman found no…
202124044 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure by Southern Housing (formerly Optivo) regarding grounds maintenance and complaint handling. The landlord failed to clarify land ownership boundaries for areas the resident pays a…
202213306 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration in the landlord's handling of damp and mould reports and the associated complaint. The landlord delayed major works for almost a year despite known health vulnerabilities, left the…
202128305 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration for the landlord's significant delays (over 18 months) in replacing the resident's faulty window, including a period where no action was taken and the resident had to chase the…
201810151 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration by Optivo (now Southern Housing) in its handling of the resident's reports of anti-social behaviour by a neighbour. The landlord made several procedural errors over a 12-month…
202112884 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration for the landlord's response to noise/ASB reports (it investigated proportionately and offered mediation), reasonable redress for drainage delays (the landlord apologised and…
202202109 Housing association
The landlord took 44 days to repair the resident's underfloor heating during winter, failed to provide alternative heating, and had poor communication due to staff absences and contractor disputes. The complaint…
202103609 Housing association
The Ombudsman found reasonable redress in the landlord's handling of water service charge concerns, as it apologised, reduced the management fee by £100, and explored installing individual meters. No maladministration…
202114279 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration by Optivo in its response to the resident's request for an allocated parking space. The landlord's explanation was reasonable, the tenancy did not provide for a parking bay, and…
202108988 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's handling of the resident's request to be rehoused, as it correctly applied its lettings policy. However, there was a service failure in complaint handling due…
202117753 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's handling of ventilation, drainage and access works, its response to damage to belongings, or its handling of the contractor behaviour complaint. The landlord…
202113230 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure by Optivo for delays and poor communication in responding to a leaseholder's roof leak (reported December 2020, repairs ongoing into late 2021), and service failure in complaint…
202208233 Housing association
The landlord was found to have a service failure for poor communication regarding lift repairs — it failed to update the resident on progress or notify him the lift was out of service. However, the landlord's offer of…
202112494 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's handling of window repairs or the resident's request to use a different contractor. The landlord had consulted the resident, the windows met building…
202101144 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's response to the resident's concerns about the building's safe house status or her request for a property transfer. However, there was service failure in the…
202105816 Housing association
The Ombudsman found reasonable redress by the landlord in its response to the resident's reports of water ingress and damp at her new-build flat. The landlord acknowledged delays in arranging an independent damp survey…
202108225 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure in the landlord's level of redress for delays and failures linked to damp and mould repairs and a related decant, and service failure in its complaint handling. The landlord was…
202106576 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration in the landlord's handling of a DHP application (failure to send the Tenancy Agreement to the local authority) and in its complaint handling (unreasonably declining to escalate and…
202104585 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure by Optivo. While the landlord ultimately took appropriate action to remove rubbish from communal areas and carried out a deep clean, there were failings in record-keeping which led to…
202105121 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure by the landlord in its handling of the resident's ASB complaint. The landlord missed opportunities to engage meaningfully at an earlier stage and failed to refer the matter to its…
202110229 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure in the landlord's handling of noise transference reports because it did not investigate the resident's concern that ceiling works had reduced sound insulation. Service failure was…
202110503 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration by Optivo in its handling of the resident's noise nuisance complaints about a community centre beneath her flat. The landlord was limited in what it could do as the community…
202106387 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's handling of the resident's ASB reports, as the resident declined to open cases or provide evidence. However, there was service failure in the complaint…
202100001 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure in the landlord's handling of a shared-ownership leaseholder's request to sell her 25% share. The landlord accepted delays and offered £250 compensation, but the Ombudsman considered…
202105830 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure by Optivo regarding its handling of the condition of the resident's new property when let. The landlord failed to fully record or inspect void works, did not arrange a surveyor's…
202101632 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration by Optivo regarding its response to a leaseholder's reports of a leak from the flat above. The landlord correctly identified the repair was the neighbour's responsibility,…
202109450 Housing association
The landlord failed to ensure the property met its empty homes standard before the resident moved in, with significant outstanding repairs including no electricity to two bedrooms, heating issues, water leaks, and…
202014937 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration by the landlord in its response to the resident's reports that his vehicle was removed from outside his property. The landlord followed its abandoned vehicles policy and the…
202016662 Housing association
The Ombudsman found that the landlord offered reasonable redress for its handling of a leak into the resident's shared-ownership property. While the landlord was not responsible for the building defect causing the leak,…
202104692 Housing association
The Ombudsman found that the landlord offered reasonable redress for failing to inform the resident about the need to apply for a parking bay at the start of her tenancy, causing a six-month delay. The landlord…
202010395 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's response to ASB reports, but found service failure for poor communication and delays regarding overgrown bushes, ordering a formal apology. The landlord's offer…
202008811 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure by Optivo in its handling of the resident's requests for property adaptations and a property transfer. The landlord delayed installing a handrail, gave conflicting advice, and took 8…
202006063 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's handling of ending the tenancy after the resident's death, as it followed its procedures. However, a service failure was found because the landlord contacted…
202010971 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's response to noise transference reports, as it took reasonable steps including independent acoustic testing. The landlord offered reasonable redress for service…
201914273 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure by Optivo for unclear communication about responsibility for roof leak repairs, and service failure for delays and errors in complaint handling. The landlord was ordered to pay £100…
202010922 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's response to the resident's concerns about the tenancy agreement and heating payment obligations, and reasonable redress regarding compensation for heating/water…
202014196 Housing association
The Ombudsman found that the landlord took over nine months to complete bathroom repairs, causing significant inconvenience to the resident. However, the landlord acknowledged its failings, apologised, completed the…
202010828 Housing association
The Ombudsman found maladministration (service failure) in the landlord's handling of complaints about communal cleaning standards and the Scheme Manager's conduct, as it failed to respond to complaints submitted in…
202007796 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure in the landlord's response to requests for information supporting service charges, ordering £100 compensation. No maladministration was found regarding resident meetings, parking and…
201915070 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration regarding the landlord's response to reports of a faulty intercom entry system and an unusable communal bin store, and no maladministration in complaint handling. However, there…
202007672 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration regarding the kitchen condition and renewal timeline; service failure for unclear records on the kitchen drawer repair and for failing to inform the resident about window…
202002413 Housing association
The Ombudsman found that the landlord offered reasonable redress to the resident prior to investigation, resolving complaints about its response to damp and mould reports, subsidence concerns, and complaint handling.…
202100731 Housing association
The Ombudsman resolved the complaint through early resolution after the landlord agreed to level and seed the rear garden, redo the front garden pebbles with a better membrane, and redo the rear garden sleeper steps.…
202009015 Housing association
The landlord offered reasonable redress prior to investigation by granting the resident permanent residency at the decant property, resolving the complaint about repairs handling and the property transfer request.
202003490 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration by Optivo in its handling of the resident's reports of antisocial behaviour. The landlord investigated appropriately, liaised with the police and other tenants, offered…
202009764 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure by Optivo for its handling of a hot water repair. The landlord failed to act on its contractor's advice to arrange an electrician, causing a week without hot water and multiple failed…
202000740 Housing association
The Ombudsman found that while the landlord took a range of appropriate actions in response to reports of ASB (drug use/dealing), there were delays in the early stages and a failure to keep the resident updated, as well…
202012148 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure in the landlord's handling of delays replacing the resident's roof due to poor communication, and maladministration in its response to reports of damp and mould, which went…
202014485 Housing association
The landlord gave incorrect information about staircasing discount eligibility in 2017, later corrected this and offered £250 compensation, which the Ombudsman found to be reasonable redress. However, there was service…
202005497 Housing association
The landlord agreed to pay £375 compensation following mediation, resolving the resident's complaint about the lack of fencing to one side of the garden which had allowed animals to enter.
201805041 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration by Optivo in its handling of a resident's reports of antisocial behaviour (cannabis smell and nuisance) or in its handling of the resident's request for a housing transfer. The…
202012054 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure by Optivo in its response to the resident's request for redress for a delayed roof repair. The landlord's initial complaint response was inadequate, and although its later response…
201903550 Housing association
The Ombudsman found that the landlord offered reasonable redress for its handling of repairs to the boiler, roof and bathroom plumbing, where there were delays but no significant impact on the resident. However, the…
202002957 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration by Optivo regarding the resident's request for reimbursement of £240 for a replacement front door lock, as the resident had not reported the repair to the landlord before…
202009859 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration by Optivo in its response to the resident's reports of antisocial behaviour from a neighbour. The landlord acted proportionately by investigating, offering diary sheets,…
202006395 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's response to reports of cracks and water damage, as it reasonably relied on surveyor inspections concluding these were minor and the tenant's responsibility.…
202014522 Housing association
The Ombudsman found that the landlord offered reasonable redress for its poor handling of repairs following a ceiling collapse from a leak, including poor communication and delays. The landlord offered £281.86…
202008137 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration by the landlord in its response to reports of leaks into the resident's shared-ownership property and communal areas. The leaks arose during the defect liability period of a…
202001344 Housing association
The Ombudsman found no maladministration in the landlord's response to the resident's request for compensation for electricity bills (allegedly caused by a faulty immersion heater) and damaged goods following a leak.…
202007038 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure by Optivo in its handling of the resident's reports of noise nuisance. The landlord delayed unreasonably in investigating initial reports in late 2019, failed to check the upstairs…
201906896 Housing association
The Ombudsman found reasonable redress for the landlord's acknowledged failings in handling the resident's ASB reports (delays, poor records, speaking to the resident's mother without consent, and failing to open a new…
202005182 Housing association
The Ombudsman found service failure by Optivo for unreasonable delays in carrying out external repairs (brickwork, guttering) and internal works (radiator upgrades) recommended by a damp specialist in March 2020, taking…
201913685 Housing association
The Ombudsman found that the landlord offered reasonable redress for its handling of repairs to the resident's heating system, which included a 47-day period without heating, missed appointments, and poor communication.…
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