Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council failing to act on her emails regarding issues with her landlord. Miss X sent her emails to the wrong address, and once the Council received them, it responded. There is no evidence of fault by the Council.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains the Council failed to act on her repeated complaints about disrepair and retaliatory behaviour by her landlord. Miss X says the Council unfairly dismissed her concerns and has failed to protect her and her partner from the risk of a retaliatory eviction. She wants the Council to complete an immediate inspection of her rental property and issue an improvement notice to her landlord for the disrepair. She also wants the Council to apologise and compensate her for ignoring her previous emails about this matter.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. The Council has explained Miss X’s June and July 2025 emails did not reach it because they were sent to an incorrect email address. In September, Miss X emailed again, this time to the correct email address and the Council replied the next day. The Council advised Miss X to raise her disrepair concerns with the landlord first. It explained the landlord needed to be given a reasonable time to address the disrepair issues before the Council could step in.
6. Miss X does not want to follow the Council’s advice because she fears her landlord will try to evict her and her partner in retaliation. However, concern about something that might happen is not a valid reason to avoid following the recommended process.
7. We will not investigate this complaint because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council to justify our involvement. The Council cannot be found at fault for not receiving incorrectly addressed emails. The Council’s advice to Miss X appears reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances. Miss X may wish to provide the Council with further evidence if she believes her landlord has had sufficient notice and time to address the disrepair issues in her rental property.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council to justify our involvement.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman