Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council has managed bids on the housing register. This is because we could not add to the investigation carried out by the Council.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains that the Council has recorded three bids on its housing register website as being declined. Miss X says the Council mishandled her case when it placed her in temporary accommodation. She would like the Council to find her a house with a garden in a specific area of the Council’s borough.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. 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:

• any fault has not caused injustice to the person who complained, or
• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organization.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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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. In 2016, Miss X was made homeless and placed by the Council in temporary accommodation. Miss X has placed bids on three properties in recent months which have been declined.
6. In responding to Miss X’s complaints, the Council said that there were several reasons why bids would be shown as declined, including the applicant not meeting the requirements or the property being advertised incorrectly.
7. The Council said that two of Miss X’s bids were declined due to the properties not being advertised correctly and one because the Housing Association was unable to contact Miss X to arrange a viewing and the other two bids were declined as they were advertised incorrectly, for which the Council apologised to Miss X. The Council said that whilst the declined bids would remain, they do not count against Miss X, and she can continue to bid for properties.
8. I will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about her bids for properties being shown as declined on the Council’s housing register website. The Council has fully explained the reasons behind this and apologised for how two of the properties were advertised. Therefore, we could not add to the investigation carried out by the Council. Furthermore, the bids being marked has declined do not cause Miss X an injustice because she can continue to bid for properties, and they do not count against any future bid she may make.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because we could not add to the investigation carried out by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman