Legal Ombudsman: complaining about a housing solicitor

Did a solicitor handle your housing case badly? The Legal Ombudsman may be your route. It is a free, independent service. It deals with complaints about solicitors, barristers, and other legal workers. Here is when to use it, and how.

What is the Legal Ombudsman?

The Legal Ombudsman is an independent body. It handles complaints about legal firms in England and Wales. It stands apart from the courts, and from the regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority. It weighs the quality of service you got. It never judges whether the legal advice was right or wrong.

When can I complain to the Legal Ombudsman?

You can complain to the Legal Ombudsman if:

• You hired a solicitor on a housing matter: a disrepair claim, a possession case, a tenancy row
• The service fell short: slow work, silence, mistakes they could have avoided, poor advice
• You already complained to the firm. Either the answer let you down, or eight weeks passed with none

Complaints must normally reach the Legal Ombudsman within:

• One year of the problem happening, or
• One year of you finding out about it

And no more than six years after the act, or failure to act, behind it.

What complaints can the Legal Ombudsman deal with?

The Ombudsman can look at complaints about:

• Delays moving the case forward
• Silence on what is happening
• Wrong billing: charged more than told, or more than fair
• Poor communication
• Lost papers
• Instructions ignored
• Risks or costs never explained

The Ombudsman cannot look into:

• The legal advice itself; the regulator handles that
• Court decisions
• Rows between solicitors

What can the Legal Ombudsman do?

Where it agrees with you, it can:

• Make the solicitor say sorry
• Make the firm put a mistake right
• Order fees cut or refunded
• Award compensation for distress and inconvenience, up to £50,000

How do I make a complaint?

1. First, complain to the firm. Write to its complaints partner and explain what went wrong. Most firms run a complaints process
2. Wait for the answer. Eight weeks is their window
3. Still unhappy? Go to the Legal Ombudsman: online at legalombudsman.org.uk, or on 0300 555 0333

Solicitor misconduct: a different route

Think the solicitor was dishonest, misused your money, or badly broke the rules? Report it to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) at sra.org.uk. The SRA regulates. The Legal Ombudsman handles service complaints. Serious cases may need both routes.

When should I contact Support for Tenants?

We are a housing disrepair claims service, not a legal complaints body. Have a disrepair problem with your landlord and want to claim? We check whether you may have a claim. Then we refer you to a panel solicitor, on a no-win, no-fee basis.

Call us on 0800 030 4669. No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.

Sources

• Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Section 11 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims, England (justice.gov.uk)