London Borough of Bromley (21 006 385)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 30-Mar-2022

Summary: Mrs C complains that the Council provided her with unsuitable interim accommodation under the homeless duty it owed her. She said her daughter’s room was too small and this affected her mental health. We find fault by the Council because it did not inform Mrs C of her right to appeal to court when it told Mrs C her property was suitable.

Cornwall Council (21 009 440)

Statement Not upheld Homelessness 28-Mar-2022

Summary: Mrs X complains for Mr Y about the way the Council responded when he became homeless and the suitability of temporary accommodation it provided. The Ombudsman has found no evidence of fault in the way the Council considered these matters to May 2021 when it accepted a main housing duty towards Mr Y. It would be reasonable for Mr Y to exercise his right of review of the suitability of the temporary accommodation offered as the Council has accepted a main housing duty. So, we have completed our investigation.

London Borough of Bexley (21 017 806)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 27-Mar-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to end its housing duty to Miss X. Miss X has appealed that decision therefore it is outside our jurisdiction. Miss X also complained about the Council’s decision not to provide temporary accommodation. We will not investigate this complaint as there is not enough evidence of fault in the way it was made.

London Borough of Lewisham (21 003 193)

Statement Not upheld Homelessness 27-Mar-2022

Summary: Ms X complained the Council failed to investigate a burglary she suffered at her temporary accommodation property. I ended my investigation. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify further investigation and we cannot achieve the outcome Ms X wants.

London Borough of Barnet (21 012 763)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 24-Mar-2022

Summary: The Council was at fault for the way it dealt with Ms X’s homelessness review. As a result Ms X had to wait longer for decision. The Council has agreed to apologise to Ms X and make a payment to Ms X.

Salford City Council (21 016 155)

Statement Not upheld Homelessness 23-Mar-2022

Summary: Miss X complained about the support the Council provided after she applied as homeless in 2020. There was no fault in how the Council responded to Miss X’s reports about the condition of her property or how it dealt with her application for social housing.

Birmingham City Council (21 015 061)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 22-Mar-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision not to accept Miss X onto the housing register or to provide interim accommodation. That is because there were review rights that Miss X could have used.

London Borough of Barnet (21 009 994)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 21-Mar-2022

Summary: There was fault by the Council. It failed to respond to changes in circumstances when a families housing became overcrowded. Backdating the date on which the families priority banding increased remedies this injustice. The Council also failed to offer the family temporary accommodation until over a year after the change in circumstances occurred. A payment remedies the uncertainty caused to Mr X, as it is not certain he would have accepted an earlier offer of temporary accommodation.

London Borough of Haringey (21 018 197)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 17-Mar-2022

Summary: Mr X complains the Council has unreasonably failed to accept a housing duty in his case by failing to consider his medical evidence properly. We will not investigate this matter because it was reasonable to expect Mr X use his legal right to appeal to court.

London Borough of Bromley (20 012 225)

Report Upheld Homelessness 16-Mar-2022

Summary: Mr B complained that the London Borough of Bromley failed to deal properly with his approaches to them for help when he was threatened with homelessness in 2019. He complained that initially the Council failed to accept a duty when his landlord wrote to him to ask him to leave. He also complained that later, although it did agree to provide some help, the Council still failed to effectively and promptly secure accommodation for him and his family until he complained, which was over a year after he first approached it for help.