Ombudsman criticises council over property purchase that took nine years

September 23, 2015

The Local Government Ombudsman has criticised the London Borough of Lambeth for failing to learn from complaints made while a property purchase took nine years to complete.

The LGO said that throughout the period the woman’s problems were compounded by delay and a lack of communication by the local authority.

The complainant had been told by Lambeth that she could buy her flat in 2006. However, problems with a shared water supply meant it took until November last year for the purchase to go through.

The woman had complained on a number of occasions to the LGO about the council’s handling of the sale.

The Ombudsman had on three separate occasions secured a remedy from Lambeth. However, the authority failed to learn from these recommendations and continued to provide the woman with poor service, the LGO said.

The purchase was completed shortly after the woman had submitted her fifth complaint in October 2014.

The LGO’s subsequent investigation found Lambeth at fault because it had not progressed the sale for 13 months. The council had also failed – despite assurances to the contrary – to pay the £500 it had agreed as a remedy in 2013.

  The Ombudsman recommended that Lambeth should:

apologise to the complainant;
nominate a senior officer to act as a point of contact to give her quarterly progress reports until the outstanding works are completed;
pay the woman £500 to acknowledge the uncertainty, frustration, distress and inconvenienced caused; and
decide and respond to the woman’s request to refund her legal costs.

The LGO, Dr Jane Martin, said: “All too often complaints are seen in a negative light, but in doing so authorities can waste a valuable opportunity to look at what has gone on and put things right, not just for the individual but for other people in future.

“It is particularly disappointing to see in this case that the council had the opportunity to put things right, but has not taken the chance to learn lessons from this woman’s previous complaints.   I now strongly urge Lambeth council to consider my recommendations and ensure the woman is kept fully informed in future.”  