Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (19 000 581)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 24-May-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision not to pay housing benefit after the complainant won her appeal to the tribunal. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

London Borough of Harrow (19 001 135)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 24-May-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about deductions from the complainant’s pay to repay a housing benefit overpayment. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council and because the complainant could have used his appeal rights.

Leicester City Council (18 013 666)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 23-May-2019

Summary: Mr X complains the Council did not make appropriate efforts to contact him to recover an overpayment of housing benefit, before applying a direct earnings attachment to his salary. He says this has caused him financial hardship and damage to his reputation. The Council is at fault. There was a delay of over four years in starting recovery action which is likely to have reduced Mr X’s opportunity to repay the money before the Council applied the direct earnings attachment. However, the Council acted appropriately to recover the debt in 2018. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mr X for the lost opportunity. It has also agreed to remind its officers to ensure its letters to customers are accurate and to promptly identify overpayments which need recovery action.

Horsham District Council (18 009 029)

Statement Not upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 23-May-2019

Summary: Mr B complained about the way in which the Council dealt with a review and appeal regarding his housing benefit claim. We are unable to identify any fault in the Council’s actions.

London Borough of Southwark (19 000 393)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 23-May-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about a housing benefit overpayment and rent arrears. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council and because the Ombudsman has no power to investigate a council when it is acting as a landlord.

London Borough of Haringey (19 000 605)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 23-May-2019

Summary: Ms B complains about the Council’s recovery of a housing benefit overpayment debt. The Ombudsman will not investigate the complaint because it falls outside our jurisdiction as Ms B knew of the overpayment in 2016 and had appeal rights to the Tribunal she could have used at the time.

Halton Borough Council (19 000 724)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 22-May-2019

Summary: Ms X disputes the Council’s assessment of the total amount repaid of a housing benefit overpayment. The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint because the matter is out of time.

Nottingham City Council (18 014 338)

Statement Not upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 21-May-2019

Summary: Mr X complained about the way the Council handled his safeguarding referral to the Council and its failure to take the action it said it would in relation to a claim for housing benefit. There was no fault in the Council’s actions.

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (18 003 515)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 21-May-2019

Summary: Mrs X complains that the Council handled her application for a discretionary housing payment poorly. She says this caused her an injustice because she has no confidence in the decision-making or review process within the relevant Council department. The Ombudsman considers there has been some fault but the Council has remedied this with an apology.

London Borough of Hillingdon (18 013 501)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 20-May-2019

Summary: The Council was at fault when it paid housing benefit to the tenant and not to Mrs C, the landlord. This meant Mrs C missed out on rental payments. The Council has agreed to pay Mrs C in recompense for the fault and for the part this fault played in contributing to the stress and financial strain Mrs C and her husband were already experiencing.