Mr F complained about the Council’s handling of his complaint relating to the failure of its letting agency (“the Agency”) to obtain appropriate safety documentation for a property it was managing on his behalf (“the property”). Mr F complained that these failings invalidated his insurance and left him at legal risk, and that he had expended considerable time and effort to ensure that the Council acknowledged and addressed his concerns. He said that the Council had not fully implemented the recommendations of its Stage 2 complaints response.
Having reviewed the available evidence, the Ombudsman was concerned that the Council had not acknowledged the time and trouble Mr F had been put to in order to achieve a resolution to his complaint. It was also evident that the Council had not implemented all the recommendations in its Stage 2 complaints response.
The Council agreed to the following actions in order to resolve the complaint:
Within 1 month
a) to provide evidence that it has completed recommendations 1 and 2 from its Stage 2 complaint response (to write a letter of apology and acknowledge that Mr F was not responsible for the breaches of his legal obligations as a tenant)
b) to make a time and trouble payment of £250 to Mr F and to acknowledge the inconvenience caused to him by the delay in resolving his concerns.
Within 2 months
c) to provide evidence that it has completed recommendations 4 and 5 from its Stage 2 complaint response (to review the Agency’s management arrangements and review the future use of the electrical contractor concerned).