Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s response to a report of housing disrepair. The complaint is late and I have not seen sufficient evidence of good reasons to exercise discretion to consider it now.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains about the Council’s response to his report of housing disrepair in private rented accommodation he was living in. Mr X says the Council:
1. Should have started enforcement action straight away.
2. Poorly managed his case, including delaying carrying out important actions.
3. Made several procedural errors in the notices it served and the way it closed his case.
2. Mr X says the Council’s delays in addressing his initial reports meant he and his family were exposed to harm because of their living conditions.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
4. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

5. I considered information provided by the complainant and I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Mr X first reported his concerns to the Council about a property he was renting in August 2024. Thereafter, Mr X was concerned about numerous aspects of how the Council initially responded, delays in acting and poor case management. He also said the Council was at fault for procedural aspects of how it enforced compliance with his landlord, which occurred shortly after Mr X left the property in March 2025.
7. Mr X did not raise a complaint with us until August 2026. The law I have referred to in paragraph four says we should only investigate late complaints where there are good reasons why a complaint could not have been made to us within 12 months of a person being aware of the issue they want to complain about.
8. I acknowledge Mr X’s comments about why he felt unable to make a complaint sooner because of his personal circumstances, and that some of his complaint relates to administrative actions after he left the property that he was not fully aware of at the time. However, I am not satisfied these are sufficient good reasons for me to set aside the law that says we do not investigate late complaints.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late I have not seen sufficient evidence of good reasons to exercise discretion to consider it now.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman