Summary: Mrs X complained about several failures by the Council in the way it handled her case when she became homeless in early August 2022. In particular, the Council delayed in deciding if it owed a relief duty and delayed issuing the letter, delayed providing Mrs X a Personal Housing Plan (PHP), failed to provide Mrs X interim or temporary accommodation, and delayed responding to Mrs X’s complaint. Mrs X says this caused her distress, worry, time and trouble and meant her family were sofa surfing with family and friends. The Council’s delay in issuing a decision also delayed her right to a review of that decision.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to take legal action to enter Mr X’s property for a health and safety inspection. This is because we are unlikely to find evidence of fault.

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s failure to provide interim accommodation when he became homeless. The Council has already accepted it acted with fault and offered a financial payment to Mr X. We do not consider this properly remedied the injustice to Mr X, including the distress caused by living on the streets for two weeks. The Council has agreed with our further recommendations. We did not investigate Mr X’s complaint about poor communication because the Council already accepted fault and provided an appropriate remedy.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with reports of disrepair to a social rented property. This is because we have no jurisdiction to investigate complaints from tenants about social housing landlords.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about an assessment of Mrs X’s housing application. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council incorrectly ending the main housing duty owed to Miss X. This is because it is reasonable for her to use her right to appeal to the Court.

Summary: Miss X complained that the Council identified a category 2 health and safety hazard in her flat but decided to take no action. Miss X said this caused unnecessary and avoidable distress and frustration. We do not find the Council at fault.

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council missed an opportunity at an early stage to resolve issues about rent arrears. She said the Council advised the tenants to stay at her property until suitable accommodation was found. Mrs X said this has caused long delays in the process and said she has incurred additional costs. The Council has taken action and reminded officers of the importance of exploring all available housing options at the earliest possible stage.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s assessment of a housing application. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.

Summary: The Council significantly delayed carrying out a review of its decision to discharge its housing duty to Mr B. As a result of the delay, Mr B was unable to bid on social housing for over a year. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Mr B and backdate his registration and award dates. It has also agreed to make service improvements.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Council’s demolition of a garden wall. This is because the law prevents us from considering complaints about councils when they are acting as social housing landlords.

Summary: Miss X complained about the Council’s actions in relation to her housing application. The Council was at fault. It did not explain to Miss X why it changed her priority banding and it failed to properly consider Miss X’s mental health needs when it assessed her application. The Council has agreed to complete a reassessment of Miss X’s housing application. It will also apologise to Miss X and pay her a symbolic amount of £200 for the distress and frustration the matter caused her.

Summary: Miss F complained that the Council failed to make effective repairs to her temporary accommodation. We found fault as the Council delayed inspecting the property, missed an opportunity to review its suitability and failed to tell Miss F about her review rights. This caused distress to Miss F. The Council has agreed to pay her £500 and review the suitability of the property to remedy this injustice.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Council’s unreasonable delay in refunding a credit on a man’s temporary accommodation rent account. This is because the Council has already offered a suitable remedy for the complaint.

Summary: We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about the suitability of temporary accommodation. This complaint which 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.

Summary: Mr X complained about the way the Council has dealt with his application to join the housing register. We find the Council was at fault for a delay in replying to a review request, but this did not cause any injustice to Mr X.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the failure of a management agent to make rental payments under a contract for providing temporary accommodation for Council applicants. This is a private contractual matter which has been subject to legal proceedings taken by the complainant.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council taking court action against Ms X. The law prevents us from investigating matters that have been before the courts.

Summary: We will not investigate this late complaint about money Mr X says the Council did not send to him after an Ombudsman investigation in 2008. There is not a good reason for the delay, and we could not come to sound conclusions now due to the time that has passed.

Summary: Ms X complained the Council suspended and later closed her housing application without properly considering her circumstances. The Council was at fault for the delays in actioning Ms X’s change of circumstances and then in reviewing its decision on her application. It has already apologised for the frustration this caused and is taking action to prevent the recurrence of such delays. There was no fault in the way the Council reached its decision Ms X no longer qualified for the housing register or in the way it reviewed its decision.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council not providing financial assistance after he allowed his homeless friend to stay with him. The Council has now arranged to pay Mr X. There is nothing worthwhile to be achieved through further investigation.

Summary: We cannot investigate Mr B’s complaint about the Council not maintaining the exterior of the building where he lives. This is because we cannot investigate complaints about the management of housing let on a long lease by a council.