London Borough of Bromley (18 012 118)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 29-Aug-2019

Summary: Miss Y complains the Council failed in its statutory duty to properly consider the affordability of the temporary homelessness accommodation it offered to her. Miss Y also says the Council provided misleading advice about her liability for Council Tax. The Ombudsman upholds Miss Y’s complaint. The Council will pay a total of £400 for the distress caused and undertake the procedural improvements listed at the end of this statement.

Norwich City Council (18 016 851)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 28-Aug-2019

Summary: Mrs X complains about how the Council handled her housing situation, including its decision to disqualify her from its housing register and the action it took when she was threatened with homelessness. The Ombudsman finds fault with the Council as it did not show it had properly considered Mrs X’s evidence in its review response and did not review her personal housing plan. However, this did not cause Mrs X significant injustice, so no remedy is necessary.

Manchester City Council (18 016 856)

Statement Not upheld Homelessness 27-Aug-2019

Summary: Ms X complains that the Council failed to act on reports of disrepair to her temporary accommodation and failed to send her gas safety certificates. She also complains that the Council did not investigate her complaint fairly. Ms X says this caused her financial loss, impacted on her health, and caused her to lose her business. She also says the Council has harassed her. The Ombudsman does not find the Council at fault.

Purbeck District Council (18 008 055)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 27-Aug-2019

Summary: there was fault in the way the Council carried out its duties to Miss X when she was homeless. The successor authority – Dorset Council – has agreed to provide a suitable remedy for the injustice caused by her extended stay in bed and breakfast accommodation.

Birmingham City Council (19 001 269)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 27-Aug-2019

Summary: Ms B complains about the way the Council dealt with her housing situation. There was some fault by the Council in its handling of Ms B’s homelessness application but it has not caused her significant injustice.

London Borough of Redbridge (18 012 564)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 20-Aug-2019

Summary: Miss B complains the Council placed her in unsuitable accommodation when she was homeless. She says it is too small and she must share a bedroom with her twin daughters. I have not investigated this complaint further because there is no reason why Miss B did not use her right to go to court to resolve this.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council (18 016 156)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 19-Aug-2019

Summary: Ms B complains about the Council’s handling of her request for housing help after she was made homeless. We find the Council’s decision to end the interim accommodation duty was affected by fault. This caused Ms B an injustice because it is possible she would have been accommodated for longer if the Council had acted without fault. To put right this injustice the Council has agreed to apologise and make a payment to Ms B. We have completed our investigation.

London Borough of Waltham Forest (18 017 690)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 19-Aug-2019

Summary: Miss D complains the Council delayed and made errors with her housing register account and placed her in unsuitable temporary accommodation. The Ombudsman has found evidence of fault by the Council which meant Miss D lost an opportunity to gain secure social housing in 2019. The Ombudsman has upheld the complaint and completed the investigation because the Council agrees to our recommended actions including offering Ms D the next available and suitable social housing property.

Isle of Wight Council (17 018 192)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 16-Aug-2019

Summary: The Council’s wrongly bypassed two bids for housing for Mrs X because her application did not meet the local lettings criteria when she was exempt from this. The partner would not have offered the houses to Mrs X as they were too small. The Council failed to give Mrs X reasons for its decision on her medical and welfare priority, preventing her from challenging the decisions. It caused injustice to Mrs X through distress, uncertainty and time and trouble. It will pay Mrs X £500 because of this. The Council’s allocation policy fails to give applicants their full review rights and its medical decision letters do not provide enough information for applicants to understand the reasons for the decision. The Council will review its policy and the contents of its medical priority decision letters.

Sevenoaks District Council (18 019 462)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 16-Aug-2019

Summary: The Council is at fault as it offered an unsuitable private sector property to Mr X. But the Council has taken appropriate action to remedy the injustice to Mr X. The Council has also taken appropriate action to assist Mr X in securing accommodation.