Archive has 198 results
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London Borough of Southwark (18 015 936)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 11-Mar-2020
Summary: The complainant says the Council delayed deciding if it owed him a duty to house him following homelessness. This delayed his right to a review of the suitability of his property. The complainant says he suffered bed bugs, vermin infestations, unclean living areas and the loss of heating and hot water due to boiler failures. The Council says it oversaw the property provider’s action to eradicate bed bugs, vermin and the repair and replacement of the boiler. The Council says the complainant did not ask for a review of suitability when he gained that right following the Council’s decision it owed him a housing duty. The Ombudsman finds the Council at fault for the delay in deciding it owed a housing duty which delayed the right to a review and the opportunity of improving circumstances through bidding on other properties.
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London Borough of Ealing (18 007 339)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 10-Mar-2020
Summary: Mr B complains about how the Council has handled his housing situation from when he was homeless in January 2018 and generally how it has treated him since then. There was fault in the Council’s correspondence with Mr B about his arrears but that has not caused significant injustice to Mr B.
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London Borough of Ealing (19 013 504)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 09-Mar-2020
Summary: Miss X complains about the way the Council handled her homelessness case causing her to live in unsuitable accommodation with her children. The Ombudsman finds fault with the Council as it kept Miss X in unsuitable property for too long and did not review her personalised housing plan. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Miss X and provide guidance to staff to remedy the injustice caused.
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London Borough of Barnet (19 004 630)
Statement Not upheld Homelessness 05-Mar-2020
Summary: there was no fault in the conduct of officers who dealt with Ms X’s request to make a new homelessness application. We did not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the action taken by officers in Children’s Social Care when they were assessing her children’s needs.
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North Lincolnshire Council (19 009 047)
Statement Not upheld Homelessness 05-Mar-2020
Summary: Mr X’s complaint about the quality of the housing advice and assistance he received when he was threatened with homelessness was made late. The investigation has been discontinued for this reason. There was no significant fault in the Council’s handling of his complaint.
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Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 04-Mar-2020
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mr B’s complaint about an appointment that did not go ahead at the Council’s offices to discuss his housing situation. This is because it is unlikely we could add to the investigation carried out by the Council.
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Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (19 001 495)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 26-Feb-2020
Summary: Mr X complains that the Council has housed him and his family in unsuitable temporary accommodation and made an offer of unsuitable private rented accommodation. The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint because it was reasonable for Mr X to request a review of the decisions (which would then allow him to appeal to the courts). Further, part of the complaint is out of time.
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London Borough of Croydon (19 006 422)
Statement Not upheld Homelessness 26-Feb-2020
Summary: Mr X complained the Council would not let him return to his property following an incident in May 2019, and therefore left him homeless until November 2019. The Council was not at fault for Mr X’s homelessness. It considered Mr X’s situation in line with homelessness legislation and guidance. The Council offered Mr X appointments and referrals for support however he failed to engage, which prevented the Council assisting him.
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London Borough of Camden (18 004 044)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 26-Feb-2020
Summary: the Council took too long to make a decision on Ms X’s 2018 Housing Register application and it did not properly consider whether she may be exempt from a residency requirement. It delayed making a referral to hostel providers and there were faults in the way it responded to her request for homelessness assistance and interim accommodation in October 2018. The Council has agreed to provide a suitable remedy for the injustice caused by these faults.
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London Borough of Hillingdon (19 008 381)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 25-Feb-2020
Summary: The Ombudsman finds fault with the way the Council responded when Mr B presented as homeless. There was fault in the way it decided whether it owed Mr B a duty in respect of his application. It failed to produce a personalised housing plan and there was also fault in the way it communicated with Mr B throughout the process. The fault caused Mr B an injustice. Actions have been agreed to remedy the injustice.