The Ombudsman found that the Association failed to escalate Mrs B’s concerns in line with its corporate complaints procedure. She said that this caused frustration and uncertainty to Mrs B. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Association’s agreement to write to Mrs B with an apology for its failure to acknowledge and escalate her concerns, commit to undertaking regular maintenance of the strip of land and issue a Stage 2 complaint response within 2 weeks. Furthermore, the Association offered to pay Mrs B £50 compensation in recognition of the breakdown in communication, with the flexibility to increase this amount if warranted following the outcome of its Stage 2 investigation.