Complaints from BCP council tenants rose from 164 to 360 in 2025-26, and only 31.1% were happy with how they were handled. The Ombudsman's findings, in full.
Complaints from BCP Council’s own tenants and leaseholders more than doubled last year. BCP Homes, the council’s landlord service, logged 360 complaints in 2025-26, up from 164 the year before.
The figures are in its annual complaints report, which went to the council’s Cabinet on Wednesday 28 October. The Housing Ombudsman requires every social landlord to publish one.
Why the number rose
The report gives two reasons. More tenants now know how to complain. And complaints settled without an investigation are now logged as formal stage 1 complaints, as the Ombudsman’s code requires.
But the report does not treat the rise as paperwork alone. It says the figures give “a clearer picture of where residents are experiencing avoidable frustration”.
The most common problems were:
- communication and case ownership: poor updates, calls not returned, unclear responsibility and poor record keeping
- contractors: poor workmanship, weak supervision, untidy sites and missed appointments
- appointments and scheduling going wrong
- damp and mould: delays, work left unfinished and poor handovers between teams
- anti-social behaviour cases: slow responses and investigations that did not cover everything raised
57% of complaints were about repairs and maintenance, and 43% about housing management. 13% were upheld in full, 28% partly upheld and 58% not upheld.
Answered on time, but tenants are not satisfied
BCP Homes answered 96.76% of complaints on time last year. Only 31.1% of tenants were satisfied with how their complaint was handled. The report says that is below the national median. It rose to 36% in April to June this year.
“Timely responses alone are not sufficient,” the report says.
What the Ombudsman found
The Housing Ombudsman’s own landlord performance report for BCP covers April 2025 to March 2026. The council has 10,762 homes.
- The Ombudsman received 48 cases about BCP, of which 13 were taken on.
- It made 7 determinations, with 19 findings between them.
- It found failings in 12 findings: 5 of maladministration and 7 of service failure. There was no severe maladministration.
- It ordered £2,050 in compensation, made 19 orders and 4 recommendations.
- BCP’s maladministration rate was 67%, down from 73% in 2024-25 and 63% in 2023-24.
The Ombudsman counts service failure as a form of maladministration. It means a minor failing where action is still needed to put things right.
Against other landlords, BCP’s findings were less often maladministration but more often service failure. Service failure made up 37% of its findings against 23% nationally.
Complaints about how staff managed relations with tenants were the weakest area. The Ombudsman found failings in 83% of those findings, against 57% nationally.
No complaint handling failure orders were issued, the report says.
What is changing
A new BCP Homes structure began on 1 October, with more staff for complaints. The report lists changes already made after complaints, including:
- vulnerable residents flagged on the housing system so all staff can see it
- a review of the mutual exchange process, after delays left a resident out of pocket
- quality checks on communal cleaning, with an extra supervisor proposed
- the anti-social behaviour policy reviewed so both sides of a case are heard
What it means for you
- Complaining: use BCP’s Make a complaint about BCP Homes page. You do not have to use the word “complaint” for it to count.
- If you are not happy with the answer: ask for stage 2. After that you can go to the Housing Ombudsman, which is free.
- Damp and mould: report it in writing and keep a note of dates. It is one of the themes the council itself says it must improve on.
Cabinet was asked to note the report and agree a response for publication. The decision had not been published when we checked on Thursday morning.
Sources
- BCP Homes Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report, BCP Council Cabinet, 28 October 2026, for the complaint numbers, themes, outcomes, timeliness, satisfaction and changes made.
- Appendix 2: analysis of complaint handling performance 2025-26 for the quarterly breakdown.
- Appendix 3: Housing Ombudsman landlord performance report for the Ombudsman’s cases, findings, compensation and national comparisons.
- Cabinet agenda, 28 October 2026.
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