Building control

Eden District Council (18 018 747)

Statement Not upheld Building control 30-Dec-2019

Summary: Mr X complains about the actions of the Council's building control officers in issuing a completion certificate for his house before he bought it. He says recently events caused him to conclude the drainage system did not comply with building regulations. The Ombudsman decided to discontinue its investigation into this matter. We have a presumption against investigating building control complaints and there is no good reason to depart from that in this case.

London Borough of Bexley (19 002 965)

Statement Upheld Building control 12-Dec-2019

Summary: Mr B complains about the way the Council dealt with his application for building regulations approval and says he spent unnecessary time and trouble and did not receive an acceptable service. The Ombudsman has found some fault in the Council's communication with Mr B but considers the actions already taken by the Council of agreeing a single point of contact with the additional action of an apology and £50 are enough to provide a suitable remedy.

East Devon District Council (19 008 161)

Statement Not upheld Building control 09-Dec-2019

Summary: Mr B complains that the Council has not properly providing building control oversight on his development. The Ombudsman will not investigate Mr B's complaint further, because the Council has withdrawn its requirement for disputed works and Mr B has not suffered sufficient injustice to warrant investigation by the Ombudsman.

London Borough of Hillingdon (19 004 813)

Statement Not upheld Building control 08-Nov-2019

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council's failure to protect him from his neighbour's extension that was built without planning permission. Mr X believes that his neighbour's home is now unsafe. There was no fault in the building control decision the Council has made. The planning issues raised in the complaint related to decisions made by the Planning Inspectorate, which is not a body we can investigate.

London Borough of Newham (18 017 899)

Statement Upheld Building control 24-Oct-2019

Summary: The Council was at fault in relation to advice about whether or not Ms A needed to make a full plans application for Building Regulations approval to replace a fire door. It has also acknowledged fault in the way in which officers corresponded with Ms A. But, it has remedied matters appropriately. If necessary, it will waive any application fee that might be payable.

Hartlepool Borough Council (19 002 272)

Statement Not upheld Building control 22-Oct-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman did not find fault in a complaint which alleged the Council's building control team failed to advise the complainant that the layout of a building under construction did not comply with building regulations until building work was almost complete.

London Borough of Redbridge (18 015 422)

Statement Upheld Building control 05-Sep-2019

Summary: Mr C complains the Council failed to issue a building regulations completion certificate for work to his property and he has spent unnecessary time and trouble in pursuing the matter and may have difficulty if he sells the property. The Ombudsman has found fault by the Council in some of its communication with Mr C but considers the agreed action of an apology and £100 are enough to provide a suitable remedy.

Coventry City Council (18 018 739)

Statement Upheld Building control 27-Aug-2019

Summary: Mr C complains the Council failed to record properly and in a timely way 'Competent Person Scheme' notifications and says he has spent unnecessary time and trouble in trying to resolve the matter. The Ombudsman has found some fault by the Council but considers the agreed actions of an apology and monitoring notifications for a set period to identify any common themes requiring action are enough to provide a suitable remedy.

London Borough of Bexley (18 015 206)

Statement Upheld Building control 28-Jun-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman found fault on Mr P's complaint against the Council about the actions of its building control team. The Council failed to keep proper contact records, failed to identify a failure to comply with Building Regulations during an inspection, and took 4 months to correct this failure. The agreed action remedies the avoidable injustice caused.

London Borough of Merton (18 008 346)

Statement Upheld Building control 10-Jun-2019

Summary: Mr X complains the Council has failed to carry out proper inspections or take appropriate action in relation to an unauthorised loft conversion and extension of the shared chimney at an adjoining property. The Council's failure to consider/ record its consideration of whether the works to the chimney complied with the building regulations amounts to fault. This fault has not caused Mr X or his brother a significant injustice.