Parking Problems

Published on Tuesday, 02 October 2012. Posted in Case Studies

Complaint

Parking is often a contentious issue and in this case the Landlord was aware that parking was problematic at the property and had therefore requested that the Agent set out the allocated parking arrangements in the tenancy agreement. However, following complaints from neighbours of the property, the Landlord examined the agreement and complained
to the Agent that they had omitted the requested parking clauses and had been ineffectual in handling the neighbour complaints.

Investigation

My examination of the information provided found that the Landlord had stressed the importance of including the allocated parking spaces in the tenancy agreement, prior to that agreement being signed, but that the Agent failed to do so. Furthermore, that Agent stated that they had included this information at the time, when the final signed agreement stated otherwise. The result of their error was that the Tenants began parking outside the allocated car parking spaces which caused their  neighbours inconvenience to the extent that they had complained to the Agent. Upon receiving the neighbour complaints, it was unclear from the Agent’s file precisely what steps, if any, they had taken to try and resolve the issue, even when the Landlord raised her own complaint.

Outcome

Overall, whilst it was clear that the omission of the parking details had been an oversight on the Agent’s part which could have been easily rectified by advising the Tenants appropriately about the allocated spaces, the manner in which the Agent dealt with the issue had caused the Landlord a degree of avoidable aggravation and inconvenience. I, therefore, made an award of £75 and criticised the Agent for their ineffectual action upon being presented with the problem.

 

Learning

Upon receiving a complaint, taking swift and appropriate action can often stop disputes from escalating. If parking (or any other aspects of the tenancy) is identified as a potential problem, agents should make sure that they have determined what the precise arrangements are.