Consumer guidance on what the changes mean for consumers
The Legal Ombudsman's Scheme Rules set out the framework for how we resolve complaints between an authorised person (service provider) and complainants.
Following a consultation process in April 2022, there are a number of revisions to our existing Scheme Rules, with the changes applying from 1 April 2023.
The changes being made can be broken down into four areas as follows:
1 – A change to our time limits.
2 – Discretion to decline to issue a formal Ombudsman decision after investigator case decision if neither party raise any substantive objection to the findings of the case decision.
3 – Changes to Ombudsman discretion to dismiss or discontinue a complaint in certain circumstances.
4 – Minor drafting changes to update Scheme Rules including new dates and correcting previous typographical drafting errors.
This guidance is intended for complainants and sets out what the changes mean for those bringing a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman after 1 April 2023.
