Birmingham City Council (19 012 600)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Allocations 23-Dec-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Ms B’s complaint the Council has disqualified her from its housing register. Further consideration of the complaint is unlikely to find fault with the way the Council has made its decision.

Chelmsford City Council (19 012 344)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Allocations 19-Dec-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs B’s complaint about her housing application. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault in the way the Council has reached its decision on the current priority banding for the application.

Gloucester City Council (19 012 370)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Allocations 18-Dec-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the complainant’s priority on the housing register. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Milton Keynes Council (19 012 077)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Allocations 17-Dec-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the outcome of the complainant’s homelessness application. This is because it is not unreasonable to have expected the complainant to have used her statutory right to review and appeal the Council’s homelessness decision.

London Borough of Hillingdon (18 019 714)

Statement Upheld Allocations 16-Dec-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman found fault on Ms T’s complaint about the Council’s children’s services failing to properly consider her and her daughter’s needs, or suitability, when providing them with accommodation out of borough. It failed to show this was the only available accommodation. It also failed to show it considered, and kept under review, its suitability because of her daughter’s needs and the 4 hours traveling it takes for her to get to and from school. The agreed action remedies the injustice caused.

Epping Forest District Council (18 019 902)

Statement Upheld Allocations 16-Dec-2019

Summary: There was fault by the Council. The Council’s guidelines on priority transfers did not explain clearly what the Council’s officers felt was a like for like transfer. The Council also did not clearly document its reasons why it felt Miss B was not at sufficient risk to exercise discretion to go against its policy to speed up her transfer. The injustice to Miss B is minimal, as it is likely the outcome would have been the same and the Council did make her a reasonable offer, which she refused.

Norwich City Council (19 003 725)

Statement Upheld Allocations 16-Dec-2019

Summary: Mr B complains the Council did not consider properly the medical needs of his son, C, when assessing their banding for the housing register. There was fault in the Council’s consideration of Mr B’s request for medical priority but there was no fault in the way the review was conducted which upheld the original decision.

London Borough of Hackney (19 005 082)

Statement Upheld Allocations 16-Dec-2019

Summary: Ms X complains about the Council’s refusal to give her additional housing priority due to her multiple needs, causing her family to remain longer in unsuitable accommodation. The Ombudsman finds no fault affecting the Council’s decision but finds the Council delayed granting disrepair points. The Ombudsman recommends the Council provides an apology and payment for distress.

London Borough of Wandsworth (19 010 214)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Allocations 16-Dec-2019

Summary: Ms X complained about conditions in her social rented home and the Council’s failure to give her priority for a transfer. The Ombudsman cannot investigate this complaint. This is because it concerns the management of tenancies by a social housing landlord and is outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction.

Epping Forest District Council (19 005 432)

Statement Not upheld Allocations 12-Dec-2019

Summary: Mr B complains that the Council failed to backdate his recent housing application to the date of his original application which was cancelled in 2016 when he did not renew it. The Ombudsman finds no fault on the Council’s part. In any event, it has now backdated Mr B’s application.