The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to ensure properties were correctly named and addressed. Further investigation would not lead to a different outcome for the complainant in this matter.
The complaint
Mr X complained about the Council’s failure to resolve problems with the correct address and naming of the building where he lives. He says this has caused problems with deliveries and insuring his home for business use.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide further investigation would not lead to a different outcome, or there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.
(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council’s responses.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mr X says his home has not been properly registered on the Council’s address records for years since he purchased it. He says he has experienced problems with deliveries to his home and that the Royal Mail says his address does not exist.
The Council says that the address is correctly recorded on its lists based on information which relates to when it sold the building to the current owners in 2009. Since that time the owners have made unauthorised changes to the building name and the street name which has led to confusion for external services and agencies. The building is still officially named as it was on the title deeds.
The Council says it has written to the owners about the unauthorised street name and if they do not comply with the requirement to remove the name or formally apply to change it then it does have some powers to enforce this. It has advised Mr X to pressure the owners to restore the correct building name so that residents can receive normal delivery services. The Council has also confirmed with emergency services and the Royal Mail that the original address is the registered one.
The Council says although the previous council tax billing may have been confused the address is correct and it has bene possible for Mr X to pay his annual charges since he moved into his home 6 years ago.
We will not investigate this complaint because we cannot resolve the main issues which are between the Council and the building landlords and not Mr X directly.
Final decision
We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to ensure properties were correctly named and addressed. Further investigation would not lead to a different outcome for the complainant in this matter.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman