Housing Ombudsman
Rachel Smith is an Adjudicator at the Housing Ombudsman since January 2023. Prior to this role, Rachel held various positions at Epping Forest District Council from April 2002 to January 2023, including Team Manager, Interim Service Manager, Area Housing Manager, Assistant Area Housing Manager, and Housing Officer. Rachel also worked as a Housing Officer at BROMFORD CARINTHIA HOMES LIMITED from April 1997 to April 2002. Rachel earned a MA (Hons) in Housing Law & Practice from the University of Westminster in 2006, and a Bsc Hons in Science and the Environment from De Montfort University in 1997.
Housing Ombudsman
Our role is to resolve disputes involving members of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme and support effective landlord-tenant dispute resolution by others. Members of the scheme include housing associations and local authority landlords plus some private landlords who are voluntary members. Our service is independent and impartial. Our vision is Housing Matters: Fairness Matters which recognises the importance of housing to people’s lives. We ensure the fair and impartial resolution of housing complaints, locally where possible. When things go wrong we put things rights and encourage learning from outcomes. We help improve landlord and resident relationships. We role model the service we expect of others. For further information about the Housing Ombudsman Service see our website.