Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate Miss B’s complaint about the housing repairs team’s service. This is because her complaint is about what the Council has done as a landlord managing its social housing.

The complaint

1. The complainant, Miss B, complained about the housing repairs team’s lack of response to the breakdown of her electric shower, the overlooking of the reasons for not being able to use the bath, the lack of investigation into an accident, its response to her complaint and the lack of guidance to tenants on personal protective equipment (PPE) its staff and contractors must wear.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. We cannot investigate complaints about the provision or management of social housing by a council acting as a registered social housing provider. (Local Government Act 1974, paragraph 5A schedule 5, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I have considered the information Miss B provided and her comments on my draft decision.

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What I found

5. Miss B’s complaint is about the services it provides to its tenants as a landlord. The Council referred Miss B to us at the end of its complaints process. But, while we can consider complaints about applications for disabled facilities grants, we cannot consider complaints about a council’s housing repairs service.

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Final decision

6. The Ombudsman cannot investigate this complaint. This is because the complaint is about what the Council has done as a landlord managing its social housing.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman