Overview
The complainant (Mrs C) complained on behalf of her daughter (Miss A). She said that Aberdeen City Council (the Council) allocated Miss A a flat in 2002 that they had failed to designate as amenity housing due to an administrative failure. In February 2006, Miss A applied to the Council to buy the property. The Council wrote to Miss A on 10 August 2006 to advise that her application had been refused. They said that the flat had facilities that were substantially different from those of a normal property. They stated that it had been designed and adapted for occupation by a person of pensionable age, whose special needs require accommodation of the kind provided by the flat.
Specific complaint and conclusion
The complaint which has been investigated is that Miss A has not been able to purchase her Council flat under the right to buy scheme, because of an administrative failure by the Council (upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman considers a proposal made by the Council to Miss A to be a reasonable response and is satisfied as far as is possible that the Council have now taken steps to address the complaint. The Ombudsman also welcomes the Council's assurance that they will take a similar approach in response to other complaints of this nature. In light of this, the Ombudsman has no recommendations to make.