Miss A complained about an inspection carried out by Powys County Council to assess the condition of her home using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (“HHSRS” – a risk-based assessment tool used to identify and address potential hazards in residential properties that could affect the health and safety of occupants). She said that the correct procedures were not followed for hazard scoring and remedial works had either not been completed or verified.
The Ombudsman found that the Council had partially upheld Miss A’s concerns regarding the accuracy, completeness and evidential basis of the findings of the HHSRS assessment, but that no further inspection of her home had been carried out. It appeared that at the time of the Council’s investigation, remedial works had not been completed, which included a potential Category 1 hazard. She said this caused uncertainty and frustration to Miss A and decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to, within 6 weeks, apologise to Miss A for the shortcomings identified by the Stage 2 investigation, carry out a full HHSRS assessment of her home and share the findings of the assessment with her.