Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s assessment of a housing application. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.

The complaint

1. Miss X complained about the Council’s refusal to allow her to application to the housing register to transfer to its area. She says she grew up in the area and needs to return for family reasons.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints of injustice caused by ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. I have used the word fault to refer to these. We consider whether there was fault in the way an organisation made its decision. If there was no fault in how the organisation made its decision, we cannot question the outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 34(3), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council. I have also considered the Council’s housing allocations policy
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Miss X is a council tenant in another area. She applied to the housing register because she says she has no family support in her current area and has relatives in the Council’s area.
6. The Council assessed her application and told her that she does not meet the local connection requirements under its allocations policy. Her remaining relatives are too distant to make her qualify and she has no other circumstances which would make her eligible.
7. Miss X asked the Council to review the decision and it did so in November 2024. The decision was unchanged and the Council told her she did not meet the threshold to be considered as an exception to the policy. It advised her to seek a mutual exchange with another tenant.
8. The Ombudsman may not find fault with a council’s assessment of a housing application/ a housing applicant’s priority if it has carried this out in line with its published allocations scheme. We recognise that the demand for social housing far outstrips the supply of properties in many areas.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s assessment of a housing application. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman