The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about what happened when he reported housing safety concerns to the Council. This is because the complaint has been made late and there are no good reasons for investigating.
The complaint
Mr X says the Council failed to act promptly after he raised safety concerns in 2024 about his private rented property.
Mr X says he was left exposed to risks including fire safety defects, potential gas and electrical hazards, structural concerns and inadequate support to a basement staircase. He would like financial compensation for the distress and anxiety he suffered.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
We will not investigate this complaint because it has been made late.
The matters complained about occurred between in 2024. The complaint was not brought to the Ombudsman until August 2026, significantly 12 months since Mr X was aware of the events he is raising with us now.
I have seen no evidence of exceptional circumstances that prevented the complaint from being brought to the Ombudsman sooner. In addition, the Council has already investigated the complaint, acknowledged fault for the delay, apologised and explained the service improvements it proposed to make. Given the passage of time and the absence of good reasons to exercise discretion, we will not investigate this late complaint.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr X complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons to investigate.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman