Repairs and maintenance (inc dampness/improvements and alterations eg central heating. double glazing): Pembrokeshire County Council

Mrs A complained that despite Pembrokeshire County Council telling her that it would investigate the damp in her property during the summer of 2022, it had not. Further, Mrs A said that the Council had not responded to her emails about the issue.

The Ombudsman found that in its letter to Mrs A, dated 15 June 2022, it advised that it would be carrying out an inspection of her property during the summer [of 2022] and recording moisture readings to establish if there was genuine damp within the property, rather than mildew and mould caused by condensation. There was no evidence that this inspection had taken place. She also found that the Council had failed to respond to a complaint submitted by Mrs A on 3 September, in accordance with its complaints policy.

The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to, within 10 working days, provide a written apology to Mrs A for the failure to undertake an inspection of her property and the failure to provide a response to her complaint, and provide Mrs A with a written response to her complaint. Within 28 days, undertake a full inspection of Mrs A’s property to record moisture readings, with a view to identifying the cause of the damp. Within 10 working days of the inspection, provide Mrs A with the findings of the inspection, together with a proposed plan of works to address the cause of the damp, as necessary.