Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the way the Council processed the complainant’s housing application. This is because the Council offered a fair remedy and there is not enough remaining injustice to require an investigation.

The complaint

1. The complainant, Ms X, complains of delay and poor communication by the Council regarding her housing application. The Council offered £100 which Ms X says is not enough. Ms X also says the Council should place her in a higher band on the housing register.

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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 an investigation if we decide:

• we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take, or
• any fault has not caused injustice to the person who complained.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6) 24A(7), 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. This includes the complaint correspondence. I also considered our Assessment Code.

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My assessment

4. Ms X applied to join the housing register in January 2024. The Council approved the application in December and placed Ms X in band four. The Council backdated the application to January 2024.
5. Ms X complained to the Council about delays in processing her application and poor communication. In response, the Council said that at the start of the process there had been a failure by Ms X to respond to a request for information. But, the Council agreed it had failed to respond to some emails, which caused some delay, and to keep Ms X updated. It said its initial complaint response did not address all of Ms X’s concerns. The Council awarded £100 for Ms X’s time and trouble.
6. I asked the Council if Ms X lost out on a property due to the delay in processing the application. The Council checked its records from January 2024 and established Ms X would not have been offered a home if the Council had activated the application earlier in 2024.
7. I will not start an investigation for the following reasons. The Council could have processed the application better and maintained more effective communication with Ms X to keep her updated. But, as the delay did not lead to Ms X missing out on an offer of accommodation, there is not enough remaining injustice to require an investigation or to ask for more than £100.
8. In addition, I have checked the allocations policy and band four is correct and there are no grounds on which we could ask the Council to place Ms X in a higher band.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate this complaint because the Council has offered a satisfactory remedy and there is not enough remaining injustice to require an investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman