Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about housing related matters affecting X. The law does not allow us to consider part of the complaint about the Council’s actions as a registered social housing provider. Another part of the complaint about a discretionary housing payment is late. Additionally, there is not enough evidence of fault in how the Council considered a recent application for discretionary support.

The complaint

1. X complains about several matters affecting their housing situation. They say the Council is at fault because:
1. It has not reconciled their rent arrears with payments they have made.
2. It has not responded to housing repair issues promptly.
3. Its decision making about discretionary support was flawed.
2. X says the Council’s actions have caused distress and financial hardship.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. We cannot investigate complaints about the provision or management of social housing by a council acting as a registered social housing provider. (Local Government Act 1974, paragraph 5A schedule 5, as amended)
4. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
5. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

6. I considered information provided by the complainant and I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

Complaints a) and b)

7. Because of the law I have referred to in paragraph three, I cannot consider X’s complaints about these matters. This is because these are actions the Council has taken as a landlord. I also note the Council referred X to the Housing Ombudsman Service at the end of its complaint handling procedures.

Complaint c)

8. X said the Council used incorrect information in 2020, when it decided they were not eligible for a discretionary housing payment (DHP). I will not consider a complaint about the Council’s refusal to award a DHP to X. A complaint about that decision is now late.
9. The law in paragraph four says we should not investigate late complaints, unless there are good reasons why a complaint could not have been made sooner. I have not seen any good reasons why X could not have complained about this decision sooner and so will not investigate.
10. X also said the Council had been at fault because it had now made a new discretionary award in 2026 and this was evidence it had delayed deciding on the 2020 award request.
11. The Council explained that an officer had recently made a new application for discretionary support on X’s behalf. The Council explained this had been agreed as an award in X’s favour.
12. It also explained it made this application for support under the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which became available from April 2026, and had replaced the DHP scheme. I will not investigate this aspect of X’s complaint because it is unlikely I would find fault in the Council’s actions.

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Final decision

13. We will not investigate X’s complaint because we cannot consider some of it. Other parts are late and of the part that isn’t late, it is unlikely we would find fault with the Council’s actions.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman