A damning new report from the Housing Ombudsman revealing a 474% increase in complaints about poor living conditions in social housing has prompted calls from Propertymark for greater support for the private rented sector (PRS), which it says is essential to maintaining housing standards and choice for tenants.
The Ombudsman’s Spotlight Report: Repairing Trust, covering the 2024/25 period, warns of a deepening crisis in social housing provision and maintenance, describing the current model as “unsustainable.”
Without urgent reform, it says, the UK risks a “managed decline” of one of the largest social housing sectors in Europe – particularly in areas with the lowest affordability. At current building rates, replacing these homes could take over 60 years.
In contrast, data from the English Housing Survey cited in the report shows that 76% of private renters are satisfied with their housing services, compared with just 64% of social renters.
UNHAPPY RENTERS
Moreover, 66% of social renters were unhappy with how their complaints were handled, compared to 47% in the private sector.
Propertymark argues these figures underscore the value of a “vibrant and growing” private rental sector.
The organisation said that the social housing sector is missing a “consumer-choice dynamic” which gives private renters more control over their living arrangements. Unlike social housing, which is allocated and difficult to exit, private tenants can more easily move if dissatisfied.
NATIONAL FUNDING SETTLEMENT
The Ombudsman report recommends a National Funding Settlement for social landlords, improvements to repair culture, a national resident body to balance power between tenants and landlords, and a new universal standard for homes before they are re-let.
In response, Propertymark reiterated its long-standing call for tax reforms to strengthen the PRS and encourage investment. This includes a full review of taxes impacting landlords across the UK, scrapping the mortgage interest relief changes introduced in recent years, and reducing the tax burden on buy-to-let properties.
FINGERS ON THE PULSE
Nathan Emerson (main picture), Chief Executive of Propertymark, says: “While it is positive that the UK Government has recently announced its National Housing Bank which aims to inject billions into private investment and build an additional 500,000 homes, it is clear that satisfaction rates in the private rental sector are higher than in the social rented sector.
“Therefore, all Governments across the country need to keep their fingers on the pulse of the issue of underinvestment and further encourage a vibrant and growing private rental sector by also reviewing the taxes that impact landlords throughout the UK.”
