Sanctuary

Housing association. Products & services: Housing, Care homes.

Updated: 3 August 2026

Company Overview

Industry: Social housing (registered provider); also care homes and student accommodation
Parent company: Sanctuary Housing Association (ultimate parent of the Sanctuary group)
Regulator: Regulator of Social Housing (RSH)
Ombudsman: Housing Ombudsman Service
Customers: Over 105,000 affordable homes (85,765 social homes in England)
Legal entity: Sanctuary Housing Association (registered society IP19059R; RSH provider L0247)

What customers complain about

Customers complaining about Sanctuary most often raise repairs and property condition, including damp and mould, drainage, roofs and outstanding works, followed by complaint-handling delays and anti-social behaviour. The Housing Ombudsman's 2024-25 landlord report for Sanctuary recorded 129 determinations, 335 findings and 191 maladministration findings, a 59% maladministration rate, with £192,648 in compensation ordered and 433 orders made. Property condition was the largest category (162 findings). Complaints are handled under the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code through a two-stage process, after which residents can escalate to the Housing Ombudsman Service. Care, student and supported-living complaints may follow different routes. These are official Ombudsman and regulator figures, not review-site opinion.

Complaint categories

1
Property condition: repairs, damp and mould48%
The largest source of complaints. Residents report delayed or unfinished repairs, damp and mould, roofing, guttering and drainage problems, and works closed without being completed.
Housing Ombudsman 2024-25 landlord report: 162 of 335 findings related to property condition, with 65% found to be maladministration (below the 73% national figure for this category).
2
Complaint handling29%
Delays and failures in Sanctuary's own complaints process - slow acknowledgement, missed stage deadlines and poor communication - are a recurring, separate ground of complaint.
Housing Ombudsman 2024-25 landlord report: 98 complaint-handling findings, 48% maladministration; the Ombudsman also issued one Complaint Handling Failure Order against Sanctuary in the period.
3
Anti-social behaviour and neighbour disputes5%
Complaints about how Sanctuary handles reports of noise nuisance, anti-social behaviour and neighbour disputes.
Housing Ombudsman 2024-25 landlord report: 16 anti-social-behaviour findings, 56% maladministration.

Contact methods

Complaint journey

1
Raise your complaint with Sanctuary
Report the problem and ask for it to be logged as a formal complaint.
Typical responseAcknowledged within 5 working days
What happens
Contact Sanctuary using its online complaints form (its preferred route), the Customer Hub by phone on 01905 338600, or by post to Chamber Court, Castle Street, Worcester WR1 3ZQ. Ask clearly for the matter to be handled as a formal complaint. Sanctuary aims to acknowledge complaints within 5 working days and its acknowledgement should confirm the scope of the complaint, who will handle it, the response timescale and any interim actions. Note Sanctuary will not normally consider issues that occurred more than 6 months before the complaint is raised.
2
Stage 1 - investigation and response
Sanctuary investigates and gives a written Stage 1 decision.
Typical response10 working days
What happens
At Stage 1, Sanctuary investigates and aims to send a full written response within 10 working days, in line with the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code. For complex cases it may take longer, but it should tell you about any delay and give a revised date. The response should address each point raised and set out any remedy or action.
3
Stage 2 - review (escalation)
If still unhappy, ask Sanctuary to review the complaint.
Typical response20 working days
What happens
If you are dissatisfied with the Stage 1 outcome, you can ask Sanctuary to escalate the complaint to Stage 2, where a senior review is carried out. Sanctuary aims to respond within 20 working days. The Stage 2 response is Sanctuary's final response and completes its internal complaints procedure.
4
Escalate to the Housing Ombudsman Service
Take your complaint to the independent, binding ombudsman.
Typical responseAfter final response / 8 weeks
What happens
Once Sanctuary has issued its final (Stage 2) response, or if it fails to respond within its own timescales, you can bring the complaint to the Housing Ombudsman Service - Sanctuary is a mandatory member. You can complain to the Ombudsman once you have a final response or, in some cases, 8 weeks after it. You may also contact the Ombudsman earlier for help through a Complaint Handling Failure Order if the landlord is not following the Code. The Ombudsman's decisions and orders (for example to carry out repairs or pay compensation) are binding on Sanctuary.

Response times

Under the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code, Sanctuary aims to acknowledge a complaint within 5 working days, respond at Stage 1 within 10 working days, and respond at Stage 2 (review) within 20 working days. Complex cases may take longer, in which case Sanctuary should tell you and set a revised date. Sanctuary generally will not consider matters that arose more than 6 months before the complaint. Separately, since 27 October 2025 Awaab's Law sets legal timescales for investigating and fixing reported damp, mould and emergency hazards in social homes.

If your complaint isn’t resolved

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

Housing Ombudsman ServiceSocial landlords
The Property OmbudsmanLetting & estate agents

Recent news

27 May 2026
The Regulator of Social Housing published a regulatory judgement upgrading Sanctuary's consumer grade to C1, while maintaining governance at G1 and financial viability at V2. Sanctuary owns 85,765 social homes in England across 238 local authorities.
Read more
27 October 2025
Awaab's Law came into force for social landlords, setting legal timescales to investigate and fix reported damp, mould and emergency hazards.
Read more
1 May 2025
The Housing Ombudsman's 2024-25 landlord report for Sanctuary recorded a 59% maladministration rate across 129 determinations, with 191 maladministration findings, 433 orders and £192,648 in compensation ordered.
Read more

Earlier cases

16 May 2024
Historic: The Housing Ombudsman issued a wider order against Sanctuary after two severe-maladministration cases over roof-leak repairs, prompting a review of nearly 4,000 homes and identifying 236 with potentially incomplete roofing works. Sanctuary was required to commission an independent review of its repairs policy, record-keeping and response to vulnerabilities.
Read more

Know your rights

Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11
Places a repairing obligation on Sanctuary as landlord to keep the structure, exterior and key installations (heating, water, sanitation) in repair. This is general information, not legal advice.
Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018
Requires rented homes to be fit for human habitation throughout the tenancy, letting tenants take action over serious hazards such as damp and mould. This is general information, not legal advice.
Awaab's Law (Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023; regulations in force 27 October 2025)
Sets legal timescales for Sanctuary to investigate and remedy reported damp, mould and emergency hazards in social homes. This is general information, not legal advice.
Decent Homes Standard
A government standard Sanctuary's social homes are expected to meet, covering disrepair, modern facilities and reasonable thermal comfort. This is general information, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Who regulates Sanctuary and who resolves my complaint?

Sanctuary Housing Association (RSH provider L0247) is regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing, which enforces standards but does not settle individual disputes. Individual complaints are resolved, and can be finally decided, by the Housing Ombudsman Service, of which Sanctuary is a mandatory member.

How long does Sanctuary take to respond to a complaint?

Sanctuary aims to acknowledge within 5 working days, respond at Stage 1 within 10 working days and at Stage 2 within 20 working days, under the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code. Note it generally won't consider issues older than 6 months.

What do Sanctuary's official complaint figures look like?

The Housing Ombudsman's 2024-25 landlord report for Sanctuary recorded a 59% maladministration rate across 129 determinations, with property condition (162 findings) the largest category, plus £192,648 in compensation ordered.

I have damp or mould - does Awaab's Law help?

Yes. Since 27 October 2025, Awaab's Law requires social landlords like Sanctuary to investigate and fix reported damp, mould and emergency hazards within set legal timescales, which strengthens your position given repairs are Sanctuary's biggest complaint area.

My complaint is about a Sanctuary care home or student accommodation - is it the same process?

Not necessarily. Sanctuary also runs Sanctuary Care, Sanctuary Students and supported living, and those services can have different complaint routes and regulators (for example the Care Quality Commission for care homes), so check which part of Sanctuary you are dealing with.

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