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Lichfield District Council (22 017 939)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 25-Apr-2023
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of Mr X’s homelessness and housing register applications. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault with the way the Council dealt with his applications.
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North Somerset Council (22 018 233)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Allocations 25-Apr-2023
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s assessment of Mr X’s housing application. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.
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Kent County Council (23 000 586)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 25-Apr-2023
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council refused to make a payment to the complainant who is hosting a family under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
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Wiltshire Council (22 007 513)
Statement Upheld Allocations 25-Apr-2023
Summary: Mr X complains the Council has failed to make reasonable adjustments to allow him to bid on three bedroom properties. The Council is at fault as there is no evidence to show it properly considered Mr X’s request for a reasonable adjustment to its housing allocations policy or considered if it should exercise discretion to depart from its policy. But we cannot know what the outcome would have been for Mr X and we cannot achieve anything more for Mr X as the Council has now offered a property to him.
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Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (22 002 586)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 25-Apr-2023
Summary: Ms X complains about the way the Council has dealt with her eviction from her temporary accommodation and failing to assess her needs for support and for suitable accommodation. We find fault with the Council for inadequate record keeping, failing to communicate with Ms X about her possessions and failing to consider her circumstances when moving her possessions to a different storage facility. We have agreed remedies for the injustice caused.
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London Borough of Enfield (22 017 995)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Allocations 24-Apr-2023
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s consideration of Miss X’s homeless application in 2020 and its assessment of her housing application in 2022. We will not exercise discretion to consider the homeless matter which was received outside the normal 12-month period for investigating complaints. There is no evidence to suggest that Miss X could not have complained to us sooner. There is insufficient evidence of fault in the assessment of Miss X’s current application for housing.
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London Borough of Lewisham (22 017 950)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 24-Apr-2023
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with a homelessness application in 2018. This is because the complaint is late, and I see no reason why it could not have been made sooner.
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London Borough of Newham (22 002 920)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Allocations 24-Apr-2023
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council has delayed rehousing the complainant. This is because these matters relate to the Council’s actions when acting as a social housing landlord.
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London Borough of Lambeth (22 017 392)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 23-Apr-2023
Summary: We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about a suitability of accommodation review in 2020. This complaint was received outside the normal 12-month period for investigating complaints. There is no evidence to suggest that Ms X could not have complained to us sooner.
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London Borough of Hillingdon (22 017 754)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 23-Apr-2023
Summary: The Council failed to provide evidence of compliance with recommendations previously made by the Ombudsman. The Council agreed to consider whether Miss B should be in a higher housing priority band, but it did not. This was fault. The Council failed to remedy the injustice caused to Miss B by the faults found in our first investigation. The Council will act to remedy the injustice caused by its fault.
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London Borough of Southwark (22 017 696)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 23-Apr-2023
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about mould in temporary accommodation. That is because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
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Mendip District Council (22 010 165)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 23-Apr-2023
Summary: Mr B says the Council failed to properly consider whether he had capacity to make a homeless application and failed to consider the opinion of other professionals who said he had capacity. There is evidence of fault in how the Council reached its decision on whether Mr B had capacity to make a homeless application. A further assessment of Mr B’s capacity, apology, payment to Mr B and training for officers is satisfactory remedy.
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Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (22 011 696)
Statement Not upheld Covid-19 23-Apr-2023
Summary: Miss X complained about the provider of temporary accommodation on behalf of the Council, and about the Council’s handling of her housing register application. The Council was not at fault.
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Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (22 012 797)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Allocations 23-Apr-2023
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the banding the Council awarded Mr X’s housing application. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault to justify an investigation.
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London Borough of Waltham Forest (22 012 846)
Statement Upheld Allocations 23-Apr-2023
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the banding the Council has given to Mrs X’s housing application. She says the banding given does not properly reflect the impact of their housing on her husband’s medical issues. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault with how the Council considered Mrs X’s housing application. However, there has been service failure with the Council’s complaint handling. The Council has agreed to resolve this by providing a proportionate remedy for the injustice caused.
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Nottingham City Council (23 000 160)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Private housing 20-Apr-2023
Summary: We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint about the Council’s decision to issue him with a financial penalty relating to a privately rented property he owns. This is because it was reasonable for Mr B to appeal to the first tier tribunal.
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London Borough of Enfield (22 009 435)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 20-Apr-2023
Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s lack of support when he became homeless. The Council was at fault for failing to review its decision to end its housing duty and for poor record keeping in relation to the storage and collection of his belongings. The Council will apologise and pay him £100 for the distress and uncertainty in relation to the loss of his belongings and give guidance to staff.
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Northumberland County Council (21 017 997)
Statement Upheld Allocations 20-Apr-2023
Summary: Mr X complains about the Council’s delay in offering him accommodation. We have not found fault by the Council causing injustice to Mr X. The Council has agreed to our recommendations for a service improvement regarding its automatic bids.
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London Borough of Waltham Forest (22 000 763)
Statement Not upheld Allocations 20-Apr-2023
Summary: Miss X complained the Council removed her overcrowding housing priority meaning she could no longer bid for properties. The Council was not at fault. It considered Miss X’s application in line with its revised housing allocations scheme.
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Birmingham City Council (22 017 362)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Allocations 19-Apr-2023
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s assessment of Ms X’s housing application. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.
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London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (23 000 430)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 19-Apr-2023
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Council allowing one of its properties to remain empty and in disrepair. This is because we cannot investigate complaints about the management of social housing by councils.
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London Borough of Haringey (22 012 503)
Statement Upheld Allocations 19-Apr-2023
Summary: Miss X complained the Council placed her in housing application band C. She said being in band C meant she would not get a two-bedroom property she needs. Miss X has complained to the Council since the birth of her second child in 2020. She said her property is overcrowded and causing her distress. There was fault in the way the Council did not respond to Miss X, but this did not alter the decision the Council made. Miss X did not suffer any injustice because of this fault.
