Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to decline Miss X’s application to join the housing register. This is because we are unlikely to find fault with the way the Council considered Miss X’s application.

The complaint

1. Ms X complains about the Council’s decision to decline her application to join the housing register.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Ombudsman investigates 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 an investigation if we decide there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Miss X applied to join the Council’s housing register in June 2021. The evidence suggests there was some delay in the Council assessing Miss X’s application. However, this was due to Miss X not providing the Council all the information it needed to fully assess her eligibility to join the register. Therefore, the delay was not due to any fault by the Council.
6. When the Council received the necessary information, it decided Miss X did not meet its eligibility criteria to join the housing register. The Council explained this was because she lived in accommodation that met her needs in terms of size and cost, and because she was unable to fully evidence her local connection to the area. This decision was in line with the Council’s allocations policy.
7. The Council also completed a medical assessment for Miss X to see if she qualified for a medical priority. However, the Council’s medical assessor decided Miss X did not meet the threshold for a medical priority. This action was appropriate as Miss X had highlighted her medical conditions.
8. An investigation is not justified as we are unlikely to find fault with the way the Council considered Miss X’s application. The Council has properly considered Miss X’s application and evidence and made its decision in line with its allocations policy. The Council has also appropriately advised Miss X for its reasons for declining her application to join the housing register.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because we are unlikely to find fault with the way the Council considered Miss X’s application.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman