Mr A complained that he was unhappy with the works carried out to his property through a Homefix loan with Swansea Council. Mr A said that there were long delays, and that work had to stop to apply for planning permission when it was realised that his property was in a conservation area. Mr A said there were outstanding repairs, and that damage had been caused to his property during the course of the works. Mr A said that at times he found written information from the Council difficult to understand because English is not his preferred language.
The Ombudsman decided that the Council had acted appropriately in relation to the works carried out at the property. Some of the delays were unavoidable, and the damage caused during the course of the works had been rectified. However, the Council held Mr A responsible for not stating that his property was in a conservation area at the application stage. The Council had not requested this information from Mr A and it did not have clear guidance on what information applicants are expected to provide. The Council acknowledged that Mr A had struggled to understand some information provided to him and had asked if his relative would translate for him. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement within 2 weeks, to apologise to Mr A that he was held solely responsible for recognising the property was in a conservation area, develop guidance to state what information applicants are expected to provide, acknowledge that English is not Mr A’s preferred language and offer to translate information into his preferred language.