Section: Repairs & Improvements

Delays in Repairing Loose Plaster

In investigating a complaint that Stockton-on-Tees Council failed to carry out repairs to a tenant's home, both before and after she moved in, Ombudsman Patricia Thomas found nothing wrong with the way four repair issues were dealt with, and any problems with two other repairs had not caused significant injustice.

The Ombudsman did, however, conclude that the Council failed unreasonably to repair large areas of plaster immediately, even when the Council's own surveyor had confirmed them as being loose. It also failed to confirm in writing the results of a survey on structural issues of concern to the tenant.

The Ombudsman recommended that the Council pays the tenant compensation of £500 and completes any required plastering works.

Report No. 02/C/11344

Failure to Repair Proves Expensive

Lambeth LBC accepted a recommendation from the Ombudsman to pay one of its tenants compensation of £1,500 for delays in completing repairs to her home. These included delays in replacing the damp proof course and repairing the roof. As a result, several rooms in the property were damp and could not be used for long periods.

Report No. 03/B/01179

Decoration Allowances Unfair on Disabled

A tenant of Nottingham City Council, who had undergone major surgery, which restricted the range of practical tasks he was able to carry out, complained that:

The Ombudsman found that the Council should have completed some work prior to the complainant's occupancy, such as:

The Ombudsman also found maladministration in the Council's failure to carry out a number of more minor repairs after the tenancy began.

The Ombudsman recommended that the Council should promptly complete the outstanding repairs and pay compensation of £500.

While the Ombudsman found no maladministration in the Council's award of decoration vouchers to the complainant, she recommended that it should review its policy regarding such awards in respect of disabled persons, who are clearly disadvantaged by being unable to carry out decoration works themselves and are, therefore, required to meet the additional expense of paying contractors to do the work.

Report No. 03/C/07860

Flood Prevention Inspection Delayed

Mrs O complained to the Ombudsman, both on her own behalf and on behalf of a neighbour, about the failure of Blackpool BC to keep to its commitment to inspect annually her property and others in the street, following damage to those properties caused by flood prevention work.

Although the work was mainly the responsibility of a water company and its contractor, a consultant employed by the Council undertook the inspections.

The Ombudsman found that there had been a significant misunderstanding between the Council and its consultant. This was despite repeated approaches by her officers to seek a swift local resolution of the problem. The Ombudsman also decided that there had, as a result, been delays both in conducting the survey and completing work identified by the survey.

The survey and the necessary repairs had been completed or were nearing completion. The Ombudsman, however, recommended that the Council should pay Mrs O £250 in compensation.

Report Nos. 02/C/16166 & 16168

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Reporting on April-June 2004

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