Mr A complained about repairs undertaken at his home. He was required to move out of the property during the works, which took longer than anticipated. Upon returning there was a gas leak, which resulted in him moving out for a second time. Mr A was dissatisfied with the Council’s complaint response and sought reimbursement for costs incurred.
The Ombudsman found that Mr A had not received an adequate complaint response and was inconvenienced by the organisation’s actions. The Council had not adequately investigated the concerns in relation to the gas leak. Whilst the Council had offered reimbursement of rent, council tax and materials, it had not considered whether any other costs, including utility bills, should be reimbursed. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Council agreed to, within 4 weeks, consider Mr A’s concerns about the gas leak and his request that other bills be reimbursed and provide him with a further complaint response.