Overview
Mr and Mrs C complained to the Ombudsman's office that Aberdeen City Council (the Council) had failed to respond appropriately to complaints they made against a neighbour regarding their alleged behaviour. The complaints centred on, but were not exclusively about, noise emanating from their neighbour's property. At the time Mr C, Mrs C and their neighbour were tenants of the Council. In their various complaints to the Council about their neighbour's behaviour, Mr and Mrs C alleged that the Council both failed to document the reports of anti-social behaviour made by them and that, in meetings held with Council Housing Department officials, decisions were not recorded or followed up.
Specific complaints and conclusions
The complaints which have been investigated are that:
- (a) telephone calls made by Mr and Mrs C to the Council's Neighbour Complaints Unit were either not recorded or not fully recorded (upheld);
- (b) records of meetings held with the Council's Housing Department officials were either not recorded or not fully recorded (upheld); and
- (c) the Council failed to take appropriate action in response to Mr and Mrs C's complaint of anti-social behaviour (not upheld).
Redress and recommendation
The Ombudsman recommends that the Council write to Mr and Mrs C, apologising for the failings identified in this report.
The Council have accepted the recommendation and will act on it accordingly.