Clarion Housing

One of the UK's largest housing associations. Products & services: Social housing, Repairs, Tenancy services.

Updated: 3 August 2026

Company Overview

Industry: Social housing (housing association)
Parent company: Clarion Housing Group Limited (RSH no. LH4087)
Regulator: Regulator of Social Housing (RSH)
Ombudsman: Housing Ombudsman Service
Customers: Around 125,000 homes and more than 350,000 residents
Founded: 2016 (Clarion Housing Group formed from the merger of Affinity Sutton and Circle Housing)
Legal entity: Clarion Housing Association Limited (Registered Society no. 7686; RSH no. 4865)

What customers complain about

Residents complaining to Clarion most often raise repairs: Clarion's own 2024-25 review states repairs accounted for around 60% of complaints, with damp and mould, delayed or unfinished works, and complaint-handling delays recurring in Housing Ombudsman determinations. Clarion received 6,898 complaints in 2024-25 (up from 5,750 the year before), acknowledged 76% within five working days and took 18.9 working days on average to resolve them. The Housing Ombudsman upheld a high share of the cases it investigated: Clarion reports a maladministration rate of 60.2% and 15 severe maladministration findings in 2024-25 (down from 28 in 2023-24), with no Complaint Handling Failure Orders (down from three). Clarion is regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing, which in October 2025 confirmed a C2 consumer grade, a G1 governance grade and upgraded viability to V1. The binding dispute route is the Housing Ombudsman Service, used after Clarion's two-stage procedure. This is general information, not legal advice.

Complaint categories

1
Repairs delays and quality60%
Repairs are by far the most common cause of complaints to Clarion, covering delayed, missed or unfinished works and repeat visits.
Clarion's 2024-25 annual review states around 60% of complaints related to its repairs service.
2
Damp and mould
Reports of condensation, damp and mould, and how quickly Clarion investigates and completes remedial works, feature repeatedly in Housing Ombudsman determinations against Clarion.
Multiple 2024-26 Housing Ombudsman decisions found maladministration in Clarion's handling of damp and mould, with compensation ordered.
3
Complaint handling and delays
Slow acknowledgements and delayed Stage 2 responses beyond the statutory timescales recur in Ombudsman findings, separate from the underlying repair issue.
In determination 202318286 the Ombudsman found the Stage 2 response was 112 working days late; complaint-handling maladministration is a repeated finding.

Latest statistics

6,898(up from 5,750 in 2023-24)Complaints received2024-25
60.2%Housing Ombudsman maladministration rate2024-25

Figures are from Clarion's own published Complaint handling performance and service improvement annual review 2024/25 and the Housing Ombudsman's 2024-25 data, covering 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 unless stated. The maladministration rate and severe maladministration counts are Housing Ombudsman findings; Clarion's own review reproduces them. Social landlords have no Citizens Advice star rating and no Financial/Energy Ombudsman, so none is shown.

Contact methods

Clarion complaints (phone)0300 500 8000
Clarion complaints (post)Clarion Housing Group, Reed House, Peachman Way, Broadland Business Park, Norwich, NR7 0WF. You can also complain in person at a Clarion Hub.
Housing Ombudsman Service0300 111 3000
Regulator of Social HousingSets consumer standards and issues regulatory gradings. Does not resolve individual tenant disputes; report standards concerns rather than personal complaints here.

Complaint journey

1
Report the problem to Clarion first
Raise the issue through Clarion's normal channels before it becomes a formal complaint.
Typical responseVaries
What happens
Contact Clarion by phone on 0300 500 8000, the online form, live chat, in person at a Clarion Hub or by post to Reed House, Norwich. Give your address, tenancy reference and a clear description, and keep any repair job numbers. If it is a repair, report it as a repair first so there is a record; if you are unhappy with how it is handled, ask to raise a formal complaint.
2
Stage 1 complaint
Clarion's first formal review of your complaint.
Typical responseAcknowledged in 5 working days; resolved in 10
What happens
Under the statutory Complaint Handling Code, Clarion aims to acknowledge a Stage 1 complaint within 5 working days of receipt and to resolve it within 10 working days of acknowledgement. Complex cases can be extended by up to a further 10 working days, with an explanation. You will receive a written Stage 1 response setting out Clarion's findings and any actions or remedy.
3
Stage 2 escalation
A fresh review by someone not involved at Stage 1.
Typical responseRequest within 20 working days
What happens
If you are dissatisfied with the Stage 1 outcome you can ask for a Stage 2 review, normally within 20 working days of the date you received the Stage 1 response. A different member of staff who was not involved at Stage 1 reviews the case. Clarion should acknowledge and respond in line with the Complaint Handling Code timescales for Stage 2.
4
Housing Ombudsman Service
Free, binding independent adjudication once Clarion's process is exhausted.
Typical responseAfter final response (or 8 weeks)
What happens
If Clarion issues its final (Stage 2) response and you remain unhappy, or the process stalls, you can bring the complaint to the Housing Ombudsman Service on 0300 111 3000 or info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk. The Ombudsman is free and its decisions are binding on member landlords. You can approach it once you have a final response, or after 8 weeks from that response; you can seek advice from the Ombudsman at any point.

Response times

Clarion follows the statutory Complaint Handling Code. At Stage 1 it aims to acknowledge within 5 working days of receipt and resolve within 10 working days of acknowledgement, with a possible extension of up to 10 further working days for complex cases. A Stage 2 review should be requested within 20 working days of the Stage 1 response. In 2024-25 Clarion says it acknowledged 76% of complaints within 5 working days and took an average of 18.9 working days to resolve a complaint (down from 24.5). Repair timescales themselves vary by priority, and damp-and-mould works are now subject to Awaab's Law timescales.

If your complaint isn’t resolved

If Clarion Housing can’t put things right, you can escalate — free of charge — to an independent body:

Housing Ombudsman ServiceSocial landlords
The Property OmbudsmanLetting & estate agents

Know your rights

Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11
Clarion, as landlord, must keep the structure and exterior of the property in repair and keep installations for water, gas, electricity, sanitation, space heating and hot water in proper working order. Persistent unaddressed repairs can breach this duty. This is general information, not legal advice.
Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018
The home must be fit for human habitation at the start of and throughout the tenancy, covering hazards such as serious damp and mould. Tenants can potentially take legal action if a property is unfit and the landlord has failed to act.
Awaab's Law (Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023)
Introduces legal timescales requiring social landlords such as Clarion to investigate and fix damp, mould and other prescribed hazards within set periods, phased in from 2025, or to rehouse the tenant where a home cannot be made safe.
Decent Homes Standard
Clarion's social homes are expected to meet the Decent Homes Standard (free of serious hazards, in a reasonable state of repair, with reasonably modern facilities). Failing to meet it can support a complaint and is a matter the Regulator of Social Housing oversees.

Frequently asked questions

Who regulates Clarion Housing and who resolves my complaint?

Clarion is regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing, which sets standards and issued Clarion a C2 consumer grade in October 2025 but does not resolve individual disputes. Your complaint is resolved through Clarion's two-stage procedure and then, if needed, the free and binding Housing Ombudsman Service.

How do I make a complaint to Clarion?

You can complain by phone on 0300 500 8000, via Clarion's online 'make a complaint' form, live chat, in person at a Clarion Hub, or by post to Clarion Housing Group, Reed House, Peachman Way, Broadland Business Park, Norwich, NR7 0WF.

How long should Clarion take to respond?

At Stage 1 Clarion aims to acknowledge within 5 working days and resolve within 10 working days of acknowledgement, with up to 10 extra working days for complex cases. In 2024-25 Clarion says it acknowledged 76% of complaints within 5 working days and resolved them in an average of 18.9 working days.

When can I go to the Housing Ombudsman?

Once Clarion has issued its Stage 2 final response and you remain unhappy (or after 8 weeks from that response, or if the process stalls), you can take the complaint to the Housing Ombudsman on 0300 111 3000. Its service is free and its decisions are binding on Clarion.

Is damp and mould treated differently?

Yes. Damp and mould are a recurring theme in Housing Ombudsman rulings against Clarion, and Awaab's Law now sets legal timescales for social landlords like Clarion to investigate and fix damp, mould and other prescribed hazards, phased in from 2025.

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