PRS landlord ombudsman: the new mandatory redress scheme explained

Article Updated: October 2026

Every private landlord of an assured or regulated tenancy in England will have to join a new ombudsman scheme, expected from 2028, whether they manage their properties themselves or use a letting agent. It is one of the biggest accountability changes in the Renters' Rights Act 2025, and although the scheme is not yet live, enough has been confirmed to know what is coming and how to prepare. This guide sets out who must join, when, what it will cost, how complaints will work, and the practical steps worth taking now. For the short definition, see our dictionary entry on the Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman, and for the wider reforms, our Renters' Rights Act hub.

A quick orientation on where things stand. The ombudsman is created by Part 2, Chapter 2 of the Act (sections 64 to 74), which calls it a "landlord redress scheme". The Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and phase one of the reforms, including the abolition of Section 21 and the move to periodic tenancies, took effect on 1 May 2026. The ombudsman comes later, after the PRS Database, and mandatory membership is currently expected in 2028.

Who must join the ombudsman

Section 64 of the Act lets the government require every residential landlord in England to belong to a landlord redress scheme. In practice that means landlords of assured and regulated tenancies, regardless of portfolio size or how the property is managed. Lodger and other excluded arrangements fall outside it. Using a letting agent will not exempt you. The reasoning, as the housing minister put it during the Bill's passage, is that employing an agent does not remove the tenant's need to seek redress from the landlord, because many of the issues that matter most, such as structural repairs or damp, are the landlord's responsibility whoever handles the day-to-day management. There are no carve-outs for small or accidental landlords.

The Act also allows the regulations to require membership before a property is marketed, and to keep a landlord in the scheme for a set period after they stop letting, so complaints about a tenancy that has ended can still be heard. The length of that period has not yet been set.

That distinction between landlord and agent matters in practice. Where a property is managed by an agent, a tenant may have two routes: a complaint to the agent's redress scheme about the agent's conduct, and a complaint to the landlord ombudsman about the landlord's own obligations. A boiler left unrepaired for weeks could engage both, and the government expects the schemes to work together where both are involved. The lesson for landlords is that you cannot contract out of accountability for your statutory duties.

What the ombudsman will be able to do

The scheme will provide independent, binding resolution outside the courts. Only tenants, including prospective and former tenants, can bring a complaint. An ombudsman investigates, decides whether the landlord acted reasonably, and can order remedies: an apology or explanation, specific action, and compensation. Decisions will be binding, not advisory, and under section 68 a decision can be made enforceable as if it were a court order. The Act also allows the scheme to offer voluntary mediation at a landlord's request, so disputes can be settled early.

One open question is publication. Other ombudsman schemes, including the Housing Ombudsman in social housing, publish determinations with the landlord named and the tenant anonymised. If the PRS scheme follows that model, it will be a real cultural shift for a sector that has operated with far more anonymity, but no decision has yet been announced.

When it starts

The timeline is phased and deliberately cautious. The PRS Database database opens for registration in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026, then rolls out region by region, with each region given a three-month window and the last deadline falling on 14 November 2027. Landlords will therefore already be on the database before the ombudsman launches.

The ombudsman follows the database. As at 13 October 2026, the government has not decided which organisation will run it, and the operator will then need time to recruit, train and build capacity. Mandatory membership is currently expected in 2028, once the government is satisfied the service is ready, and it has promised landlords sufficient notice rather than a surprise deadline. The 2028 date is the part most likely to move, so treat it as a planning assumption rather than a fixed deadline.

Who will run it

No final decision has been confirmed, but the government has repeatedly said the existing Housing Ombudsman Service is well placed to deliver a streamlined, cross-tenure service, and it remains the frontrunner. The scale of the task is the open question. The Housing Ombudsman already handles tens of thousands of social housing complaints a year, and the government's own recruitment notice for the next Housing Ombudsman puts the private rented sector at around 4.7 million households. Even a small complaint rate implies a large caseload, which is why the service is being built in stages after the database.

What it will cost

Landlords will fund the scheme through a fee, with the charging model confirmed closer to launch. The government has said the service will not make a profit and that the fee will be fair and proportionate. No figure has been published. The closest published comparator is the PRS Database fee of £65 per property per year, though the government has not said whether database and ombudsman charges will be combined. Whatever the final number, it is another incremental cost to budget for alongside existing compliance, particularly across a portfolio.

The penalties for not joining

The consequences for staying outside the scheme are significant. Under section 66, a local authority can impose a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for breaching the membership requirement. Under section 67, it becomes a criminal offence if the breach continues more than 28 days after a penalty, or if the landlord breaches the rules again within five years. That offence carries an unlimited fine on conviction, or a civil penalty of up to £40,000 instead.

Section 98 also adds the offence to those that can trigger a Rent Repayment Order, and section 103  doubled the maximum period those orders can cover, from 12 months' rent to two years. The Act also allows future regulations to stop anyone, including a letting agent, marketing a property unless the landlord is a member, which would give agents a strong reason to check membership before taking an instruction.

How the complaint process will work

Detailed procedures await regulations, but the likely shape is clear from ombudsman practice. A tenant exhausts the landlord's internal complaint process first, so landlords will need a documented procedure if they do not have one. If the landlord fails to resolve the complaint within a reasonable period, commonly eight weeks in other schemes, the tenant can escalate to the ombudsman free of charge. The ombudsman checks jurisdiction, investigates by gathering evidence from both sides, and decides whether the landlord acted reasonably, with remedies where appropriate. In practice, the landlord who can produce a clean record, including the tenancy agreement, the correspondence, the maintenance log and the safety certificates, is in a far stronger position than one relying on memory.

What tenants will be able to complain about

The jurisdiction is expected to be broad, covering most of the landlord's obligations and conduct. That is likely to include repairs and maintenance under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and the duty to keep a property fit for human habitation under section 9A of the same Act; safety failures such as missing gas or electrical certificates or faulty alarms; discrimination against benefit recipients or families; unreasonable refusal of a pet request; harassment or attempted illegal eviction; and poor communication or conduct. Some disputes already have their own statutory route and are likely to stay there: deposit deductions go to the tenancy deposit scheme's dispute service, and challenges to a rent increase go through the tribunal process. The exact scope will be set out in regulations.

What landlords should do now

Mandatory membership is still some way off, but the preparation is the same work that reduces complaints in the first place, so there is no reason to wait. Put a simple, written complaints procedure in place, with acknowledgements and response times, and tell tenants about it at the start of the tenancy. Tighten record-keeping so that maintenance requests, communications, inspections and certificates are all captured and dated; August's document storage keeps that material in one place with an audit trail, which is exactly what an investigation asks for. Review your agent arrangements so responsibilities for repairs, compliance and complaints are clear, remembering that you remain accountable for statutory duties. And keep on top of the obligations themselves, since the best defence against a complaint is not having grounds for one; a compliance checklist helps track safety certificates and renewal dates across a portfolio. Finally, budget for the fee and follow updates from government and landlord bodies as the detail firms up.

Where it fits in the wider reforms

The ombudsman is one piece of a larger package. The PRS Database arrives first, at £65 per property per year, and the government is exploring ways for the two systems to share data so landlords are not asked for the same information twice. Note that the Act's restriction on gaining possession applies to properties that are not registered on the database (section 90), so database registration matters for possession claims in its own right. Awaab's Law will extend enforceable hazard-repair timescales to the private sector, and the government confirmed in January 2026 that the new Decent Homes Standard will apply to private rented homes from 2035. Taken together, the direction is a more regulated, more transparent sector. For landlords who already maintain properties well and communicate clearly, the ombudsman is a manageable addition and arguably an advantage, since a clean record becomes something to demonstrate. For those who cut corners, it adds a route to consequences that did not exist before.

PRS landlord ombudsman FAQs

Do landlords have to join the ombudsman?

Yes, once membership becomes mandatory. Every private landlord of an assured or regulated tenancy in England will be legally required to join, including those who use a letting agent. There are no exemptions for small or accidental landlords.

When does the PRS landlord ombudsman start?

Mandatory membership is currently expected in 2028, after the PRS Database rollout, which runs region by region from 15 December 2026 to 14 November 2027. The government has promised landlords sufficient notice before membership becomes compulsory.

How much will it cost?

Landlords will pay a fee, with the charging model confirmed nearer launch, and the government has said the service will not make a profit. No figure has been published. The closest published comparator is the PRS Database fee of £65 per property per year.

What are the penalties for not joining?

A civil penalty of up to £7,000. Continuing or repeat breaches become a criminal offence, with an unlimited fine or a civil penalty of up to £40,000, and tenants can seek a Rent Repayment Order of up to two years' rent.

Does using a letting agent exempt me?

No. Your agent's own redress scheme covers the agent's conduct, not yours. You remain accountable for your statutory obligations and must join in your own right, even if an agent handles day-to-day management.

The bottom line

The PRS Landlord Ombudsman gives tenants, for the first time, free and binding redress without going to court, and it gives landlords a new mechanism to be held to account. The detail will firm up as the operator is chosen and regulations are published, but the preparation does not depend on that detail: a clear complaints process, good records and current compliance will put any landlord in a strong position whenever membership becomes mandatory.

Want your complaint records, correspondence and certificates in one auditable place before the scheme arrives? Start for free. No credit card required, free for up to two tenancies.

Disclaimer: This article is a guide and not intended to be relied upon as legal or professional advice, or as a substitute for it. August does not accept any liability for any errors, omissions or misstatements contained in this article. Always speak to a suitably qualified professional if you require specific advice or information.