Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about not being successful bidding on the Council’s housing register or its decision to arrange alternative temporary accommodation when she was evicted from her previous temporary accommodation. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault to warrant our involvement.

The complaint

1. Ms X complained she had been bidding unsuccessfully for social housing through the Council’s housing register for ten years. She also complained she was being evicted from her current temporary accommodation and the Council had not responded to her request for support. She was also unhappy with the Council’s decision to find alternative temporary accommodation for her, rather than offer permanent housing.

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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 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

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

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My assessment

Housing register

5. Ms X said she had been bidding unsuccessfully for rehousing through the Council’s housing register for ten years. Council records show she is in band 3 with a three bedroom need and an effective date of March 2019, which is the date the Council accepted a main homelessness duty to her. The Council said it was not aware of any change in her circumstances that meant it needed to review her application.
6. The Council must apply its published scheme when allocating housing and there is no indication it has failed to do this. There is a national shortage of social housing and we aware that applicants can wait many years for rehousing, especially in London boroughs. A long wait, on its own, would not indicate fault by the Council. We will not investigate this complaint further because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council to warrant our involvement.

Homelessness

7. Ms X told the Council she was being evicted from temporary accommodation. She complained in March 2024 that she had not had a response and was advised to remain in the property. The Council said that, in the meantime, it would be sourcing alternative temporary accommodation.
8. Ms X was unhappy with the Council’s decision to arrange alternative temporary accommodation because she said she had already moved several times. The Council explained it could not offer permanent housing because the demand for permanent housing far exceeded the supply. It offered alternative temporary accommodation in late August, which Ms X accepted.
9. As already mentioned, there is a shortage of social housing, which means many applicants wait a long time for permanent housing. In the meantime, the Council has accepted a homelessness duty, which means it must provide temporary accommodation for Ms X, which it has done. Whilst I appreciate it is difficult for <s X to keep having to move, this was not due to fault by the Council. We will not investigate this complaint further because there is insufficient evidence of fault to justify our involvement.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman