Summary
Mr C complained to the council after they failed to pay him a decoration/disturbance allowance following works to upgrade the bathroom in his temporary accommodation. He believed that he was entitled to this as it was clearly stated in a letter sent to him by the council that this would be paid. This entitlement was also reiterated to him by a contractor who was carrying out a survey to his property prior to the commencement of works.
In their final response to Mr C, and in communications with us, the council made it clear that Mr C should never have been notified that an allowance was payable, as this is provided to cover the costs of redecoration after works and, as a temporary occupant, he is not responsible for the decoration of his accommodation. They apologised to him for this miscommunication and took steps to ensure that a similar mistake would not be made in future. We therefore found that the decision not to pay the allowance was reasonable and we did not uphold Mr C's complaint.
Related reading
View Decision Report 201501483 as a PDF (11.08 KB) Updated: March 13, 2018