Ms A complained about the action taken by the Council to address housing repairs required in her property following the collapse of a bedroom ceiling. Although the Council took action to address the work required for the bedroom, Ms A raised concerns about the safety of other ceilings in her property and delays to address this.
The Ombudsman’s assessment found that, although the Council had taken action to inspect and repair the bedroom ceiling, there were delays with identifying additional work required to address requirements for the bathroom ceiling. The Ombudsman considered that this may have caused unnecessary additional disruption. Ms A had not received a full response, including an explanation and apology, from the Council for this delay.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to the following actions, within 4 weeks, as an alternative to a formal investigation:
• Provide Ms A with a full response and apology for the delay with identification and action taken for the required works to the bathroom ceiling.
• Make a redress payment in the sum of £250 to Ms A for the delay with taking action to address all required repairs and the additional disruption caused by this.