RSH provider code 00BE · Local authority | Local authority
What you need to know about Southwark Council
Southwark Council is a local authority housing association in England, with its RSH provider code being 00BE. As part of its role, it manages social housing across multiple regions within the country, offering accommodation and support services for tenants. The exact stock size managed by the council hasn't been published.
How Southwark Council is regulated
Southwark Council operates under the regulatory framework set out in the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, which provides oversight through the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). Complaints that are unresolved internally can be escalated to the Housing Ombudsman Service. The Consumer Standards introduced in 2024 further enhance protections for tenants by ensuring social landlords meet certain service level requirements.
What the Housing Ombudsman record shows
The figures published by the Housing Ombudsman show that there have been 257 decisions involving Southwark Council. Of these, 46 decisions (18%) contain findings of severe maladministration, indicating significant or persistent failings in handling complaints. These determinations are reserved for the most serious cases and signify a high level of concern regarding the landlord's operations.
What this means for Southwark Council tenants
Tenants facing issues with their housing provided by Southwark Council should start by submitting a complaint through the council's internal process. If the matter remains unresolved after 8 weeks, or if the tenant requests a final response from the council and is unsatisfied, they may escalate their case to the Housing Ombudsman Service. Tenants experiencing damp or mould problems since October 2025 are also advised that Awaab's Law grants them additional rights for remediation. Additionally, properties should meet the Decent Homes Standard, which ensures decent and sustainable living conditions.
How to escalate a complaint about Southwark Council
Tenants wishing to escalate complaints against Southwark Council should first make their concerns known in writing directly to the council. Once they have received a final response from the landlord or after 8 weeks without resolution, tenants can proceed to contact the Housing Ombudsman Service for further review. Southwark Council is free and doesn't require legal representation; however, general support may be sought through organisations like Citizens Advice or Shelter. More information about making complaints to the ombudsman can be found at https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk.
Where to read more
Further details on housing regulations and tenant rights are available from sources such as the Housing Ombudsman (https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk), the Regulator of Social Housing (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/regulator-of-social-housing), and The Tenants Voice's category pages covering disrepair and complaints. Statutory guidance is also provided by the Housing Act 2004 and the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, accessible through https://www.legislation.gov.uk.
Housing Ombudsman activity
The Housing Ombudsman has published 260 decisions involving Southwark Council. Each decision is the regulator's formal determination of a tenant complaint that Southwark Council could not resolve through its own internal complaints process.
Of those decisions, 46 contain findings of severe maladministration - the regulator's most serious determination, reserved for cases where the landlord's failures were significant or persistent. The Housing Ombudsman publishes severe maladministration orders publicly on its website.
Source: Housing Ombudsman Service. Counts are aggregated from the Ombudsman's public decisions database, last refreshed nightly.
Make a complaint about Southwark Council
If you have raised a complaint with Southwark Council and are unhappy with the outcome, the Housing Ombudsman handles complaints about all registered providers of social housing in England.