Complaining to an Ombudsman: UK Guide to Every Scheme

At a glance

• Cost to you: free. Ombudsman schemes are funded by the businesses and organisations they cover, not by complainants — gov.uk/complain-financial-service.
• Before you can complain: you must normally give the organisation a chance to fix it first, and most schemes require you to wait until it has issued a final response or a set waiting period has passed — commonly eight weeks, though this is now six weeks for telecoms complaints raised on or after 8 April 2026 (see below).
• Most common time limit: six months from the organisation's final response (Financial Ombudsman Service; the Legal Ombudsman applies this same six-month limit alongside its own one-year limit), though schemes vary — the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman generally expects a complaint within 12 months of you becoming aware of the problem.
• Statutory schemes with binding outcomes: the Financial Ombudsman Service (Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, Part XVI) can make decisions that become binding on both sides once accepted by the consumer, and the Housing Ombudsman (established under the Housing Act 1996, Schedule 2, and reformed by the Localism Act 2011, with its Complaint Handling Code given statutory force by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 from 1 April 2024) requires its member landlords to comply with its orders as a condition of scheme membership.
• Recommendation-based schemes: the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman issue findings and recommendations that organisations are expected to follow, with public reporting where they don't.
• Approved-scheme sectors: in some sectors — including letting and property management agents, under the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 — membership of an approved redress scheme is a legal requirement for the business, not optional, which is what gives you a guaranteed route to complain.
• What an ombudsman cannot do: impose criminal penalties, award damages in the way a court can for every type of loss, or change an organisation's general policy beyond your individual case.
• After an ombudsman decision: whether you can still go to court depends on the scheme and whether you accepted the decision — check before you accept anything if you think you may want to litigate.

What is an ombudsman?

An ombudsman is an independent person or body set up to investigate complaints between the public and businesses, landlords, or public organisations. An ombudsman sits outside the organisation you are complaining about, so they can take a neutral view of what happened and whether you were treated fairly.

Ombudsman schemes in the UK fall into two broad types. Some are created and backed by statute — the Financial Ombudsman Service under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the Housing Ombudsman under the Housing Act 1996 (as reformed by the Localism Act 2011), and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman under its own founding legislation. Others are industry-approved schemes that a regulator requires or permits businesses in a sector to join, such as the Energy Ombudsman and the Communications Ombudsman schemes approved by Ofgem and Ofcom respectively, and the property redress schemes required for letting and property management agents under the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013.

In every case the service is free for you to use, and in every case you are expected to have given the organisation a proper opportunity to resolve the problem first.

The main UK ombudsman schemes

• Financial Ombudsman Service — banks, insurers, lenders, and other financial firms. Set up under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. See gov.uk/complain-financial-service and our guide to complaining to the Financial Ombudsman.
• Energy Ombudsman — gas and electricity suppliers and some network operators, approved under Ofgem's consumer protection framework. See Ofgem: complain about your energy supplier and our guide to complaining to the Energy Ombudsman.
• Housing Ombudsman — social housing landlords (councils and housing associations), established under the Housing Act 1996 (Schedule 2) and substantially reformed by the Localism Act 2011 (which extended it to council landlords from 1 April 2013), with its Complaint Handling Code given statutory force by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 from 1 April 2024. See our guide to complaining to the Housing Ombudsman.
• Legal Ombudsman — solicitors, barristers, and other regulated legal service providers in England and Wales, established under the Legal Services Act 2007. See gov.uk/government/organisations/the-legal-ombudsman and our guide to complaining to the Legal Ombudsman.
• Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) — UK government departments and the NHS in England, the final stage for unresolved complaints. See gov.uk/government/organisations/the-parliamentary-and-health-service-ombudsman and our guide to complaining to the PHSO.
• Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) — councils and adult social care providers, including care homes and home care agencies. See gov.uk/government/organisations/local-government-ombudsman and our guide to complaining to the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman.
• Property redress schemes (including the Property Ombudsman) — estate agents, letting agents and property management agents. Letting and property management agents in England have been legally required to belong to a government-approved redress scheme since 1 October 2014, under Part 6 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013. See our guide to complaining to the Property Ombudsman.
• Communications Ombudsman schemes — broadband, mobile and landline providers, approved under Ofcom's regulatory framework. See our guide to complaining to the Communications Ombudsman.

Comparing the schemes

The table below pulls together the headline points from each scheme so you can see, at a glance, what applies where you are complaining.

| Scheme | Who it covers | Typical wait before escalating | Usual time limit to complain | Are outcomes binding? | |---|---|---|---|---| | Financial Ombudsman Service | Banks, insurers, lenders, other financial firms | 8 weeks, or the firm's final response, whichever is sooner | 6 months from the final response | Yes, once the consumer accepts (FSMA 2000, s.228) | | Energy Ombudsman | Gas and electricity suppliers, some network operators | 8 weeks, or a deadlock letter | Check the current scheme rules before submitting | Recommendations the supplier is expected to follow | | Housing Ombudsman | Social landlords (councils, housing associations) | Landlord's own 2-stage process under the statutory Complaint Handling Code | Check the current scheme rules before submitting | Yes, binding on member landlords | | Legal Ombudsman | Solicitors, barristers, other regulated legal providers | Provider's final response | 1 year from the act/omission (or from when you should have known) AND 6 months from the final response | Recommendations; can include compensation directions | | Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman | UK government departments; NHS in England | Body's own complaints process must be exhausted first | Check the current scheme rules before submitting | Recommendations, publicly reported if ignored | | Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman | Councils, adult social care providers | Council/provider's own complaints process must be exhausted first | 12 months from becoming aware of the problem | Recommendations, publicly reported if ignored | | Property redress schemes (e.g. Property Ombudsman) | Estate agents, letting agents, property managers | 8 weeks, or the agent's final response | Check the current scheme rules before submitting | Membership and compliance are a legal requirement for the agent (ERA 2013) | | Communications Ombudsman schemes | Broadband, mobile, landline providers | 6 weeks for complaints raised on or after 8 April 2026 (previously 8 weeks) | Check the current scheme rules before submitting | Recommendations; can include compensation directions |

Time limits and waiting periods are set and changed by each scheme, so always check the specific scheme's current rules before you submit — this table is a starting point, not a substitute for that check.

Key steps to complaining to an ombudsman

1. Complain to the organisation first. Before any ombudsman will look at your case, you need to give the organisation a proper chance to fix it. Put your complaint in writing, keep copies of everything, and ask for a final response. Most schemes expect you to wait up to eight weeks for a reply before you escalate — gov.uk/complain-financial-service confirms this eight-week expectation for financial complaints, and it is the general pattern across schemes, though telecoms complaints raised on or after 8 April 2026 can be escalated after six weeks instead.
2. Work out which ombudsman covers your issue. Using the wrong scheme wastes time, because each ombudsman only has jurisdiction over its own sector. Check the organisation's final response letter — it should name the relevant scheme — or use the list above to identify the right one.
3. Gather your evidence. Pull together everything that supports your version of events: emails, letters, contracts, bills, photographs, call notes with dates, and the organisation's final response (sometimes called a "deadlock letter"). A clear, dated timeline of what happened makes a real difference to how quickly your complaint can be assessed.
4. Submit your complaint within the time limit. Time limits vary by scheme — the Financial Ombudsman Service generally requires you to complain within six months of the final response; the Legal Ombudsman (under its scheme rules in force since 1 April 2023) applies two limits together, both of which must be met — one year from the act or omission, or one year from when you should reasonably have realised there was cause for complaint, and separately, within six months of the provider's final response; the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman generally will not look at complaints made more than 12 months after you became aware of the problem. Complete the relevant scheme's complaint form online, by post, or by phone, attach your evidence, and explain clearly what outcome you are seeking.
5. Engage with the investigation. Once the ombudsman accepts your case, an investigator will typically contact both sides, ask questions, and may propose an informal resolution. If you do not agree with a proposed outcome, most schemes let you ask for a formal, final decision. Respond to requests for information promptly to avoid delays.

Worked example: working out your Financial Ombudsman Service deadline

Priya, a fictional consumer, wrote to her bank about a disputed transaction on 3 February. The bank sent its final response letter on 20 March — well within its eight-week window. Priya's six-month clock for referring the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service starts from the date of that final response, not from the date she first complained, and runs to 20 September. If the bank had not responded at all within eight weeks of 3 February — that is, by around 31 March — Priya could have gone to the Financial Ombudsman Service without waiting any longer for a reply. Either way, she does not need to wait for the bank to invite her to escalate; once the final response is issued or the eight weeks pass, the choice to refer the complaint is hers.

What outcomes look like

What an ombudsman can order depends on the scheme, but the typical range includes an apology, correction of a mistake or record, completion of a service the organisation failed to deliver, and compensation for financial loss or for distress and inconvenience.

The Financial Ombudsman Service stands out because its outcomes can become legally binding. Under section 228 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the ombudsman determines a complaint by reference to what is fair and reasonable in the circumstances, and once a consumer notifies the ombudsman that they accept the final decision, it becomes binding on both the business and the consumer.

The Housing Ombudsman works differently again, but its orders are also binding. Its orders can include compensation — with no fixed upper limit — a repair, a survey, an apology, or a review of a landlord's policy, and its member social landlords are required to comply as a condition of scheme membership. The Localism Act 2011, Part 7, Chapter 6 also created a power for the Secretary of State to make regulations allowing a housing ombudsman scheme's determinations to be enforced through the courts, but that power has not been exercised — in practice, compliance is driven by the landlord's obligations as a member of the scheme and by the Housing Ombudsman's public reporting. Since 1 April 2024, landlords are also under a separate statutory duty, introduced by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, to follow the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code, and the Ombudsman now has a duty to monitor compliance with that Code even where no individual complaint has been made.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman work differently still: they issue findings and recommendations rather than court-enforceable determinations. Organisations are expected to comply, and non-compliance is typically reported publicly — for the PHSO, this can mean a special report to Parliament — which creates strong reputational pressure even without direct enforcement powers equivalent to the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Housing Ombudsman.

No ombudsman scheme can impose a criminal penalty, prosecute anyone, or compel an organisation to change its general policies beyond the specific complaint in front of it.

Going to court instead of, or after, an ombudsman

Using an ombudsman does not always rule out court action, but the interaction between the two routes varies by scheme and by what you do with the decision.

For Financial Ombudsman Service complaints, accepting a final decision is generally treated as full and final settlement, which closes off a related court claim on the same matter. If you reject the decision, you are usually free to pursue the dispute in court instead — though court proceedings carry costs risk that an ombudsman complaint does not, and can take considerably longer.

For other schemes, whether court action remains open depends on the specific rules and on any limitation period running under the Limitation Act 1980 in the background. If you are weighing up an ombudsman complaint against a potential court claim, take that into account before you submit anything, since some limitation periods keep running while an ombudsman investigation is ongoing.

A note on the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

The PHSO is slightly different from most other schemes because of how you reach it. Complaints about UK government departments generally still need to be referred by a Member of Parliament — commonly called the "MP filter" — while complaints about the NHS in England can be made directly, without going through an MP. Details of the current route are set out at gov.uk/government/organisations/the-parliamentary-and-health-service-ombudsman. See our full guide to complaining to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman for the current process.

Property and letting agents: a legally required redress scheme

Unlike some sectors, complaints about estate agents, letting agents and property management agents are backed by a genuine legal requirement rather than voluntary industry good practice. Under Part 6 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, a person carrying out lettings agency work or property management work in the private rented or residential leasehold sectors in England must belong to a redress scheme that is either approved by the Secretary of State or government-administered. This requirement has applied since 1 October 2014. In practice, this means that if your agent's own complaints process does not resolve your problem, you have a guaranteed route to an independent scheme such as the Property Ombudsman, because the agent is legally obliged to be a member of one. See our full guide to complaining to the Property Ombudsman.

Communications complaints: the waiting period has changed

If your complaint is about a broadband, mobile or landline provider, the timing rules changed in 2026. Ofcom, the regulator responsible for approving alternative dispute resolution schemes in the communications sector, reduced the standard waiting period before a consumer, small business or small not-for-profit customer can escalate an unresolved complaint from eight weeks to six weeks, for complaints raised on or after 8 April 2026. If your complaint was raised before that date, the previous eight-week position applies. Either way, if your provider issues its own final response (sometimes called a "deadlock letter") before the waiting period ends, you do not need to wait any longer — you can escalate as soon as you have that letter. See our guide to complaining to the Communications Ombudsman.

If there's no ombudsman for your problem

Not every sector has an ombudsman. Where none exists, you may still have options: an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme approved by the relevant regulator, a trade association's own complaints process, or the small claims track of the County Court for a money claim. Citizens Advice and the Money and Pensions Service can help identify the right route for a consumer problem that falls outside the main ombudsman schemes.

This guide provides general information about how ombudsman complaints work in England and Wales. It is a tool to help you understand your options — it is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. Scheme rules, time limits, and contact details change from time to time, so always check the relevant ombudsman's own website and GOV.UK for the current position before you submit a complaint.

Last reviewed: August 2026 by a non-practising solicitor · Next review due: August 2027 or on scheme rule change.