Summary: The Council failed to provide suitable accommodation when Miss B and her family were homeless. It placed the family in bed and breakfast accommodation for 32 weeks, 26 weeks over the maximum time such accommodation can be used for homeless applicants with dependent children. Then, when it provided self-contained accommodation, it failed to ensure there was heating and hot water before she moved in. The Council has agreed to make service improvements and to make a payment to Miss B to remedy her family’s injustice.

Summary: Miss X complained the Council has provided temporary accommodation that is unsuitable for her and her family. We found fault by the Council because it did not consider its legal duty to find Miss X and her family suitable temporary accommodation, and they remain in unsuitable accommodation. The Council agreed to apologise and make a payment to remedy the injustice to Miss X.

Summary: Miss D complains the Council did not properly process her housing register application and bids for housing. We have not found any evidence of fault by the Council and have completed the investigation and not upheld the complaint.

Summary: Miss B complained the Council failed to meet its duties to her when she became threatened with homelessness and then homeless. She says the Council wrongly advised her to stay in her rented property even after the landlord asked her to leave. We found fault in how the Council handled Miss B’s homeless application which caused her distress at a difficult time and meant she was subject to legal action which could have been avoided. The Council agreed to apologise to Miss B, review its procedures, and issue reminders to its staff.

Summary: The Council delayed the purchase of Ms B’s property during the Right to Buy (RTB) process. We have found fault by the Council in the way it delayed the process. Because of the delay, Ms B suffered distress, inconvenience and uncertainty. The Council will apologise for the delays, provide a symbolic payment and refund the additional conveyancing fees caused by the delay.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decisions on Mr X’s homeless and housing applications. It was reasonable for him to challenge these decisions by way of a statutory review and further appeal to the County Court in the case of the homeless decision.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the way the Council responded to the complainant’s reports of nuisance from a neighbour. This is because we have no power to investigate a council when it is acting as a landlord.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s decision not to award him a higher priority band on his housing application. He says his household is overcrowded and the property is full of damp and mould. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault.

Summary: Miss X complained about the Council’s handling of her homelessness application and the temporary accommodation it put her in. There are parts of the complaint we have not investigated because too much time has passed. We find the Council at fault for not completing repair work to Miss X’s property, which left her with water and sewage problems. The Council has agreed to follow up on the remedies it has offered as they are satisfactory to remedy any injustice caused.

Summary: The Council took too long to deal with Mr K’s housing application. It also failed to send him key letters regarding his homelessness application, and took too long to deal with his complaint to it about his housing situation. The Council’s failings caused Mr K prolonged distress, uncertainty and frustration. However, it did not significantly affect his opportunities to be rehoused. The Council has agreed a suitable remedy.

Summary: Miss Y complained about the way the Council dealt with the information she provided about risk areas for her homelessness application. We have found fault by the Council, causing injustice, in failing to: update the information Miss Y provided about her risk areas, record this in one place and properly check its case notes; properly handle its contact with her about a potential accommodation offer; and its poor complaint handling. To remedy this injustice the Council has agreed to: apologise; make a payment to reflect the distress caused; and service improvements.

Summary: The Council delayed reviewing its decision that Ms B did not qualify to join the housing register. We have found fault in the time it took the Council to carry out a review of Ms B’s housing application decision. Because of the delay, Ms B suffered uncertainty. The Council will apologise for the delays, backdate Ms B’s housing award date further, and provide a symbolic payment.

Summary: Ms X complained about the suitability of the interim accommodation provided to her by the Council. The Council was not at fault for the accommodation provided. It was at fault for delays in advising Ms X it owed her the relief duty and in reaching a decision on her homelessness but this did not cause a significant injustice.

Summary: There is no fault by the Council. Mr X says he is homeless. The Council has now considered a new homeless application from Mr X, which resolves his complaint that the Council refused to accept a new application. There is no fault in the Council’s decision to ask the Police to make a visit on Mr X’s welfare.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s assessment of homeless applications submitted by Mr X. It was reasonable for him to challenge the Council’s decisions by way of a statutory review and by appeals to the County Court if this had been unsuccessful.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s delay in processing a review of a homelessness decision in 2023. It is reasonable for Ms X to appeal against the negative decision to the County Court. There is insufficient evidence of significant injustice caused by the delay to warrant investigation.

Summary: Miss X complains about how the Council dealt with her and her partner’s homelessness application and about the Council placing them in unsuitable interim and temporary accommodation. The Council is at fault as it placed Miss X and Miss Y in unsuitable interim and temporary accommodation. The Council has agreed to remedy the injustice to Miss X and Miss Y by apologising and making symbolic payments to them.

Summary: Miss X complained about how the Council handled her application to join its housing register. We find the Council at fault for giving Miss X incorrect information and for failing to respond to her. The Council has agreed to apologise to Miss X, respond to her application and make a payment to recognise the injustice caused to her.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s involvement in eviction proceedings with Mr X’s private landlord. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to take sufficient action over a private home which is in a poor state of repair. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about an alleged failure by the Council to properly consider the complainant’s circumstances before ending its duty to help relieve her homelessness. This is because the subject matter of the complainant’s complaint carries a right of appeal to county court which she has been informed of and could reasonably exercise.

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: Miss H complains that, after applying to the Council as homeless, it kept moving her and her son, sometimes to unsuitable accommodation. And she missed out on properties, as the Council had not updated her housing register application. She also complains the Council’s communications were poor. We uphold the complaint because the Council kept Miss H’s family in hotel accommodation for too long and did not advise her of what the law says about this, including a delay in advising her of her rights of appeal. Its fault over her housing register application also meant she missed out on properties she would have been successful for. The Council has agreed to our recommendations.

Summary: The Council failed to provide suitable accommodation for Ms B and her family when they were homeless. It placed the family in bed and breakfast accommodation for 32 weeks, 26 weeks over the maximum time such accommodation can be used for homeless applicants with dependent children. The Council has agreed to make a payment to Ms B to remedy her family’s injustice. It has also agreed to make service improvements.

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council placed her and her family in uninhabitable temporary accommodation. She also complained the Council failed to prevent her becoming homeless, failed to provide her with her Personalised Housing Plan and placed her in Bed and Breakfast accommodation for more than 6 weeks. Mrs X said this impacted her mental health. There was fault in the way the Council kept Mrs X in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks. The Council did not act to prevent Mrs X from becoming homeless and did not evidence any assessment. This caused Mrs X distress. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a financial payment.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council failing to complete a homeless assessment for him and failing to act on serious disrepair in his accommodation. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the priority given to Mrs X’s housing application. Investigation would be unlikely to find fault because the evidence suggests the Council reached its decision properly.

Summary: Miss X complains that the Council delayed in lifting the suspension on her housing register application. The Council is at fault as it delayed in lifting the suspension on her housing register application and its requests for documentation lacked clarity. The delay caused distress to Miss X which the Council has agreed to remedy by apologising and making a symbolic payment to her.

Summary: Mr X complains the Council has delayed serving an improvement notice about his home and not dealt with enforcement properly regarding his landlord. The Council is at fault because it delayed dealing with problems Mr X reported about the condition of his home. Mr X had to live in substandard accommodation for too long and has been evicted earlier than he should have been. The Council should apologise and pay Mr X £400 for distress and uncertainty.

Summary: Miss X complains the Council did not review the suitability of temporary accommodation it provided her when she was homeless, when she asked it to. There was fault by the Council which caused Miss X to remain in temporary accommodation that was unsuitable for her, which caused her distress. It also caused avoidable time and trouble for Miss X in bringing her complaint. The Council agreed to apologise to Miss X and review her position on its waiting list for a move to suitable alternative accommodation. It will also pay a financial remedy and continue to do so until it places Miss X in suitable accommodation.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint the Council’s actions delayed the sale of a house he leased to it. It is reasonable for Mr X to take court action if he feels the Council is liable for extra costs he incurred.