The Housing Ombudsman has proposed increasing the fees it charges housing providers by 40%, from £5.75 per unit in 2023/24 to £8.03.

The Ombudsman is also considering a potential change to its fee regime, proposing a “polluter pays” model to drive better landlord complaint-handling behaviour.

The proposed model would require housing providers to pay both a membership and a cost per case fee. Alternatively, it may involve higher charges for those with the highest maladministration rates and who use the service proportionately more.