Birmingham City Council (21 004 284)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Allocations 04-Mar-2022

Summary: We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of Mr X’s homeless application in 2018. which was received outside the normal 12-month period for investigating complaints. There is no evidence to suggest that Mr X could not have complained to us sooner. There is insufficient evidence of fault in the Council’s decision not to accept his later application to the Housing Register.

Birmingham City Council (21 005 014)

Statement Upheld Allocations 04-Mar-2022

Summary: Miss X complained the Council failed to allocate her and her children a property and improperly lowered her housing band priority status on several occasions. She said this situation caused her and family distress and upset. There was fault when the Council reduced Miss X’s housing priority band status incorrectly. There is no evidence this fault negatively affected Miss X.

Folkestone & Hythe District Council (20 010 166)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 04-Mar-2022

Summary: The Ombudsman found fault on Mr L’s complaint about the Council’s actions when he became homeless. It failed to: consider him homeless during his initial visit; provide evidence and details of temporary accommodation offered and how it assessed suitability for a vulnerable person; show it explored with him his limits on sharing accommodation. The agreed action remedies the injustice caused. There was no fault in its decision about his lack of local connection preventing him joining the housing register.

Leicester City Council (21 013 827)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council house sales and leaseholders 04-Mar-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council has delayed the purchase of a property under the Right to Buy scheme. This is because it is reasonable to expect her to use the remedy available to her via the courts.

London Borough of Lambeth (21 016 625)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Managing council tenancies 03-Mar-2022

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the actions of a Council officer in relation to the redevelopment of a Council housing estate. This is because we cannot investigate complaints about the management of social housing by councils.

London Borough of Enfield (21 001 843)

Statement Upheld Allocations 03-Mar-2022

Summary: Miss X complained about the failure to make a safeguarding referral, the priority awarded to her Housing Register application and poor conditions in her temporary accommodation. We found the Council has taken satisfactory steps to improve safeguarding procedures and staff training following the concerns Miss X reported. We did not find fault in the way it assessed her priority on the Housing Register. There was fault in the way the Council responded to reports of a mice infestation in her temporary accommodation. We have completed the investigation because the Council accepted our findings and agreed to provide a suitable remedy for the nuisance and inconvenience this caused.

Cambridge City Council (21 006 315)

Statement Not upheld Homelessness 03-Mar-2022

Summary: Mr X complained about the way the Council handled his homelessness application. The Council was not at fault.

London Borough of Croydon (21 007 124)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Allocations 03-Mar-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council has not provided the complainant with suitable housing even though she has been on the housing register for seven years. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Birmingham City Council (21 016 003)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council house sales and leaseholders 03-Mar-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of Mr X’s Right to Buy application. This is because we are unlikely to find evidence of fault by the Council.

Norwich City Council (21 000 568)

Statement Upheld Allocations 02-Mar-2022

Summary: Ms X complained that the Council failed to act on further requests she made for homelessness assistance. We found its failure to respond to her emails was fault. However we cannot say if the Council would have decided there were new facts since it made the previous homelessness decision which would have required it to take a new application. The injustice to Ms X is therefore limited to frustration and uncertainty about the outcome. We did not find fault in the way the Council assessed Ms X’s priority on the Housing Register. The Council has satisfactorily addressed Ms X’s concern that staff may have had unauthorised access to her records and dealt with her request for a reasonable adjustment.