UK Housing Ombudsman Investigates Third-Party IT Security Incident
The UK Housing Ombudsman Service said Tuesday that it is investigating a third-party IT security incident affecting its case management system.
The incident has temporarily prevented social housing residents in England from submitting new complaints through the Housing Ombudsman’s website while the service works to restore access.
Housing Ombudsman investigates impact of security incident
The Housing Ombudsman, established under the Housing Act 1996, is a non-departmental authority sponsored by the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The watchdog resolves disputes between social housing residents and social landlords in England, including housing associations, landlords, managers and letting agents.
A warning posted on the Housing Ombudsman’s official website said the service was working with affected providers to assess the incident’s impact. The service also said new complaints could not be submitted until its case management system was back online.
Anyone who needs to raise a new complaint is advised to contact the Housing Ombudsman by phone or email at [email protected].
“The incident has been contained and we are working with external suppliers to establish the full facts, including the scope of the data involved,” the service said. “We are continuing to investigate whether any personal information has been affected and will provide further updates as soon as possible.”
Housing Ombudsman warns tenants about potential scams
The Housing Ombudsman Service has notified the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) about the incident. It is advising tenants and leaseholders to remain alert for potential scams involving unsolicited messages.
“As a precautionary measure, we recommend that you continue to exercise normal caution when responding to unexpected communications,” the service added. “Do not disclose personal information unless you are sure of the identity of the requester, and report any suspicious activity to the relevant organization or authority.”
The watchdog said it is working to restore the affected service “as soon as possible” and will provide further updates as its investigation continues.
Other UK government services have faced security issues
In March, Companies House, the UK government agency responsible for managing the register of UK companies, also took its WebFiling service offline to fix a security flaw that had been leaking company information since October 2025.
Two months earlier, in January, the UK announced a new cybersecurity strategy that included more than £210 million ($283 million) in support to strengthen cyber defenses across government and the public sector.
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Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com