Richard (Rick, as he likes to be known) Blakeway is explaining the profound effect a visit to meet survivors of the Grenfell Tower a few years ago.

“It’s absolutely imprinted on my mind […] listening to survivors’ experiences and their experiences in the complaints process was really powerful and I came away with a strong impression that a complaint is more than a transaction and if you are on the board of a landlord it’s a strategic tool, it’s so powerful”, he says.

For Blakeway, Grenfell and the reports of residents’ not being listened to, was a catalyst for a “big change” at the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS).

And the sector will be in little doubt about the scale of its transformation since Blakeway took the reins in 2019.

It feel as though barely a week goes by now without a publication from the Ombudsman, whether it is spotlight reports – which group together cases into themes for improvement – learning from maladministration reports, learning resources, complaint data updates or details of investigations.