London Borough of Bromley (19 016 743)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 10-Sep-2020

Summary: Mr X complains about the failure of the Council to take action against his former landlord following an illegal eviction and about the remedy for not providing interim accommodation. The Council did not consider whether to prosecute in this case and it does not appear to have a procedure for doing this. A suitable remedy for the distress caused by Mr X sleeping rough for six days is recommended.

Royal Borough of Greenwich (19 019 303)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 10-Sep-2020

Summary: The Council is at fault for failing to provide suitable accommodation to a homeless family. It also denied the homeless applicant the right of appeal against the suitability of the accommodation it did provide. The Council caused severe injustice as the applicant’s husband is a wheelchair user and could not access the bathroom in the temporary accommodation, leaving him distressed and his wife having to deal with his hygiene needs. The Council will apologise and make a payment to the applicant.

London Borough of Lewisham (20 003 052)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 09-Sep-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate this complaint about the Council destroying the complainant’s belongings after she was evicted. This is because the law prevents the Ombudsman from investigating complaints when a council is acting as a landlord.

London Borough of Waltham Forest (20 003 666)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 07-Sep-2020

Summary: A woman complained that the Council had offered her accommodation which was not suitable for her family’s needs. But the Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint because the woman has statutory review and appeal rights she can use to challenge the Council’s view that the accommodation is suitable.

London Borough of Haringey (19 019 918)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 03-Sep-2020

Summary: Miss X complained about being placed in temporary accommodation for ten years without being made an offer of permanent housing. The Ombudsman should not exercise his discretion to investigate this complaint. This is because it concerns matters outside the normal 12-month period for receiving complaints and it was reasonable for her to challenge the Council’s duty to offer her permanent accommodation in 2017.

Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (20 001 642)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 01-Sep-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s refusal to make a direct offer of housing and the condition of her current temporary accommodation. This is because we would be unlikely to find fault and an investigation would be unlikely to lead to a different outcome.

Sheffield City Council (19 018 849)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 28-Aug-2020

Summary: Mr K complains about how the Council has dealt with his housing situation. During my investigation, the Council has found that its files do not show how it considered all the information available to it and so it will review Mr K’s case and if he is entitled to more priority, it will backdate this. This is a reasonable way to settle this complaint.

London Borough of Camden (19 011 190)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 27-Aug-2020

Summary: The Council is at fault as it did not make sustained efforts to move Miss X to alternative accommodation as it had undertaken to do, delayed in carrying out a housing assessment, producing a personalised housing plan and making a decision on whether it owes the main housing duty to her. This caused uncertainty to Miss X. The Council also failed to notify Miss X of her right to appeal against its decision that she had been overpaid housing benefit so she was denied the opportunity to appeal. The Council has agreed to remedy Miss X’s injustice by making a payment of £300 to her, make a decision on whether it owes the main housing duty and reissue the housing benefit determination with her appeal rights to allow her to appeal.

London Borough of Camden (19 019 053)

Statement Not upheld Homelessness 26-Aug-2020

Summary: Mrs B complains the Council has not properly provided accommodation when she was homeless. The Council was not at fault.

London Borough of Haringey (19 004 895)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 19-Aug-2020

Summary: The Council is at fault as it delayed in providing suitable temporary accommodation for her following its decision that her existing temporary accommodation was unsuitable. The Council also failed to ensure repairs to Miss X’s property were carried out. As a result Miss X lived in unsuitable accommodation for longer than necessary. The Council has agreed to remedy this injustice by apologising to Miss making a payment of £3000.