Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about a delay in progressing a property sale because of a historical land registration mistake by the Council. His complaint is late and we have seen no good reason why he could not have complained to us sooner.

The complaint

1. Mr X’s Member of Parliament, who I will call Mr Y, complained to us on Mr X’s behalf. Mr Y said the Council made an error registering the boundary with some land neighbouring Mr X’s father’s property.
2. Mr Y said this error caused a delay in Mr X’s sale of the property. Mr Y said Mr X incurred additional costs because of the Council’s mistake and the delay it caused.
3. Mr Y said the Council delayed responding to Mr X’s negligence claim, and that Mr X would also like the Council to reimburse the additional costs he incurred as a gesture of goodwill.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

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 Mr X and the Council.
6. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

7. Mr X was involved in the sale of his father’s property in 2024. The evidence available shows his solicitors became aware in June 2024 of an error with the registration of the property’s boundary.
8. The Land Registration confirmed in July 2024 to Mr X and his solicitors that it registered the boundary based on information it received from the Council in 2009.
9. Mr X complained to us via Mr Y in August 2025, more than a year after he became aware of the boundary registration error.
10. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late, and we have seen no good reason why he could not have complained to us sooner.
11. We also note the Council has already explained why it cannot consider his negligence claim.

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Final decision

12. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late. We have seen no good reason why he could not have complained to us sooner.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman