Archive has 703 results
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London Borough of Sutton (19 016 327)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Private housing 20-Mar-2020
Summary: The complaint is about the Council’s actions under its private housing health and safety powers. The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint because it would have been reasonable to use the right to appeal to a tribunal.
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London Borough of Newham (19 006 862)
Statement Upheld Allocations 19-Mar-2020
Summary: there was fault in the way the Council assessed Ms X’s Housing Register application. As a result, the Council told Ms X she was shortlisted for a property because it made a mistake about her priority date. She suffered disappointment and distress when the Council then bypassed her bid for this property. The Council accepts there was fault and has offered a suitable remedy.
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London Borough of Lewisham (18 006 758)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 19-Mar-2020
Summary: Mr X complained on behalf of his friend Ms Y about the Council’s decision to evict and discharge its housing duty to Ms Y in November 2018. He also complained the Council failed to respond to his appeals about decisions around Ms Y’s housing benefit. Ms Y had a statutory right of review around the Council’s decision to discharge its housing duty and it was open to her to use that right. Therefore, I have not investigated that matter any further. The Council was at fault for failing to formally respond to Mr X’s appeals on behalf of Ms Y and for failing to pass them to the tribunal. The Council has now reconsidered the appeals and has formally written to Ms Y explaining its decisions which is an appropriate remedy.
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Watford Borough Council (19 020 175)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 18-Mar-2020
Summary: A tenant complained about her landlord’s failure to resolve issues of anti-social behaviour, noise and disrepair which affected her. But the Ombudsman cannot investigate this matter. This is because the tenant’s landlord is a housing association, and we have no jurisdiction to consider complaints against housing associations.
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North Somerset Council (19 018 825)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Private housing 18-Mar-2020
Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate Mr B’s complaint about the Council’s decision to bring a prosecution against him. This is because we cannot investigate a council’s decision to start court proceedings or its conduct of those proceedings.
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London Borough of Southwark (19 018 428)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 18-Mar-2020
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Miss A’s complaint about loss of and damage to her belongings. This is because it would not be unreasonable to expect Miss A to go to court if the matter is not resolved through her insurers.
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Statement Not upheld Private housing 17-Mar-2020
Summary: Mr C complains about the Council’s enforcement action about repairs needed to a property he rents out. The Ombudsman’s view is Mr C had opportunities to ask for a late appeal of a Notice he says he did not receive. A dispute about damage by the Council’s tree is for the courts, not the Ombudsman.
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Herefordshire Council (19 018 715)
Statement Upheld Other 16-Mar-2020
Summary: The complaint is about the Council’s involvement in the sale of some housing. The Ombudsman will not investigate the complaint because it has been resolved.
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Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council (19 002 717)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 16-Mar-2020
Summary: The Ombudsman found fault on Mr Z’s complaint against the Council of it delaying dealing with the eviction notice he handed in and with its failure to ensure copy documents he provided were placed on his file which meant repeated requests for those he had already sent. The agreed action remedies the avoidable injustice caused. There was no fault on his remaining complaints.
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Statement Upheld Allocations 16-Mar-2020
Summary: There is insufficient evidence to show that the Council followed its own policies when it considered an application for housing and the Council has lost the relevant records. This is fault. The Council has agreed to apologise to Ms B, restore her original band date and review her application.