Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of his re-housing application. There is insufficient evidence of fault to warrant an investigation.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains about how the Council has handled his re-housing application. He says his current accommodation is unsuitable, is negatively affecting his family’s health and wellbeing and he has been waiting too long for an offer of a suitable property. He wants the Council to offer him a suitable property.

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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 the complainant.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
5. I considered the Council’s housing allocations policy.

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My assessment

6. Mr X is currently on the Council’s housing register awaiting re-housing. He says he has been regularly bidding for properties for many years but has not yet had an offer of a suitable property.
7. In its complaint responses, the Council explained how it had calculated his priority points award. The calculation takes account of his family’s residency in the borough, medical and welfare needs, current overcrowding and length of time he has been awaiting rehousing.
8. It explained to him that there is a severe shortage of social housing in its area and applicants have long waits for an offer of housing, in particular for larger properties.
9. The Ombudsman is not an appeal body. This means we do not take a second look at a decision to decide if it was wrong. Instead, we look at the processes an organisation followed to make its decision. If we consider it followed those processes correctly, we cannot question whether the decision was right or wrong.
10. We will not investigate this complaint as there is insufficient evidence of fault. The points awarded to Mr X appear in line with its housing allocations policy. I accept Mr X has been waiting a long time for an offer of a suitable property and that this is causing distress. However, where a council has assessed an application in line with its allocation scheme, it is unlikely we would find fault.
11. We recognise that the demand for social housing far outstrips the supply of properties in many areas.

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Final decision

12. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault to warrant an investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman