Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about an offer of housing and about how long the Council took to make the offer. The complaint is late without good enough reason to accept it now.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains the Council offered her an unsuitable home in 2021. She also complains the Council took too long (17 years) to offer her that home.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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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.

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My assessment

5. In 2021 the Council offered Miss X a home from the housing register. Miss X accepted the offer on advice from a housing organisation. She says the offer of this property was not suitable for various reasons related to her safety, welfare and medical needs. To protect Miss X’s anonymity, I shall not give more details of those reasons.
6. The offer was in 2021, almost four years before Miss X complained to us in February 2025. Even after the Council gave Miss X our contact details in August 2024, Miss X took another six months to come to us. So the restriction in paragraph 2 applies.
7. I note Miss X has had some difficult circumstances, including health problems, since 2021. However, I am not persuaded that amounts to good enough reason for such a long delay complaining to us. I also consider it unlikely, on the balance of probabilities, we could reach a clear enough view now about events so long ago.
8. Miss X is also dissatisfied she waited 17 years for the Council to offer her this property. That period was roughly 2004 to 2021, many years before the complaint to us. The restriction in paragraph 2 also applies to this point. I am not persuaded there is good enough reason to accept this part of the complaint late. It is also unlikely we could reach a clear enough view now on events between four and 21 years ago.
9. Miss X states she has felt unsafe in her home. The Council explained Miss X could apply as homeless. There was no fault in that advice.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because it is late without good enough reason to investigate it now.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman