Report Upheld Homelessness 23-Feb-2021
Summary: Ms E complained about the way the Council dealt with her homelessness.
London Borough of Redbridge (18 000 313)
Report Upheld Homelessness 02-Dec-2020
Summary: Ms X complains via a representative that the Council wrongly left her family in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than a year and wrongly blamed her for failing to co-operate in resolving her situation. The Council failed to refer the matter to its homelessness team, and it did not assess Ms X, or provide her with suitable accommodation while this should have been happening, nor give her a written decision and opportunity to appeal. We find it more likely than not, given the Council had sought to persuade the borough from which Ms X had moved that she was not intentionally homeless, it would have reached the same view if it had acted properly. This caused injustice to Ms X and her children in having to live in unsuitable accommodation for more than a year. However, had Ms X been intentionally homeless, the Council might have been able without fault to place the family in the same bed and breakfast accommodation under the terms of the Children Act 1989, subject only to regular review of the children's needs. This Act does not have the same focus regarding accommodation as housing legislation. We have therefore issued this report because of the potential for conflict between housing and social care duties, which may lead to perverse outcomes for children in need in other cases.
London Borough of Wandsworth (19 006 011)
Report Upheld Homelessness 18-Nov-2020
Summary: Ms X complains the Council had not dealt with her homeless application, helped her as a victim of domestic violence or registered her on its allocation scheme.
London Borough of Harrow (20 004 346)
Report Upheld Private housing 13-Nov-2020
Summary: The Council failed to comply with an agreed Ombudsman action to apologise and pay Mr X £200 following a final decision we made in February 2020 (reference: 17 018 925 ).
Report Upheld Allocations 28-Oct-2020
Summary: Mr and Mrs X complain the Council refused to let them join the housing register (waiting list).
London Borough of Enfield (19 006 598)
Report Upheld Allocations 17-Aug-2020
Summary: Mrs B complains the Council has not moved her family into suitable temporary accommodation.
London Borough of Merton (18 019 031)
Report Upheld Homelessness 07-Aug-2020
Summary: Mr X complains the Council placed him in temporary accommodation outside its area when he became homeless. Mr X says this meant he had to give up one of his jobs as he was unable to travel back to the area for work.
London Borough of Haringey (19 014 008)
Report Upheld Homelessness 25-Jun-2020
Summary: Ms B complains about the way the Council responded to her request for housing.
Folkestone and Hythe District Council (18 018 663)
Report Upheld Homelessness 02-Jan-2020
Summary: Mr X complains about the lack of support he received from the Council when he and his family became homeless.
London Borough of Tower Hamlets (19 000 068)
Report Upheld Homelessness 11-Nov-2019
Summary: Miss X complained about how the Council handled her homelessness application when she became threatened with homelessness in February 2019, and homeless in March 2019. She complained about Council officers' approach towards her and a lack of action to help her find somewhere to live. Miss X stayed in unsuitable, unfurnished interim accommodation while pregnant. This has affected her physical and mental health.