Sector watchdog's case management system hit by cyberattack

The Housing Ombudsman’s case management system has been affected by a third-party cyberattack.

Emails from the sector watchdog, seen by Inside Housing , went out to those affected earlier this morning.

The email read: “At this stage, we have identified that some details such as name, address, telephone number and postal addresses may have been copied from our system. This may include data relating to you.”

The ombudsman said it is unable to confirm how many people have been affected at this stage.

Data from its annual complaints review in September showed that it made findings in more than 20,000 cases in 2025-26.

The email continued: “We have been working urgently with our external supplier to understand the full extent of what happened and our investigations are ongoing.

“We have contained the incident. In the meantime, we have taken proactive, precautionary steps to prevent further unauthorised activity. This does mean that we are unable to currently access our case management system and, therefore, our online form, landlord portal and web chat are offline.”

The email also advises people to “remain vigilant” for any unexpected emails, text messages, telephone calls or correspondence requesting personal information, and not to click on links or open attachments from unknown sources.

The Housing Ombudsman is the latest major sector organisation to be affected by cyber crime since last month, when major London landlord L&Q was the victim of a cyberattack that affected 12,000 residents .

At the time, the 105,000- association informed the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Regulator of Social Housing.

The ombudsman has spoken to the ICO this week’s incident.

In a statement on its website, the ombudsman said: “We are aware of a third-party IT security incident that has impacted our case management system.

“The incident has been contained, and we are working with our external supplier to establish the full facts, including the extent of the data involved.

“We are continuing to investigate whether any personal information has been affected and will provide further updates as soon as we are able. In the meantime, we have reported the incident to the Information Commission.

“As a precaution, we recommend that individuals continue to exercise their usual caution when responding to unexpected communications. Do not disclose personal information unless you are confident of the identity of the requester and report any suspicious activity to the relevant organisation or authorities.”

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