Summary: We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about the Council’s assessment of a housing application. This complaint was received outside the normal 12-month period for investigating complaints. There is no evidence to suggest that Ms X could not have complained to us sooner.

The complaint

1. Ms X complained about the Council’s assessment of her housing application and her bid on a 5-bedroom vacancy in 2023 in which she was unsuccessful. She says she should have been allocated a suitable 5-bedroom home according to her family needs and the time she has been on the housing register.

Back to top

The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. 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)

Back to top

How I considered this complaint

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

Back to top

My assessment

5. Ms X says she made a bid on a 5-bedroom vacancy in April 2023 because she is living in overcrowded circumstances in her current home. She was unsuccessful and was told that she was in 9th position in the bidding. She made a complain tot eh Council through her local councillor and the Council told her that she was not selected for the property due to a local lettings policy which shortlisted applicants from local estates first.
6. Ms X made a formal complaint to the Council and the procedure ended with a final decision in January 2024 not to uphold her complaint. She complained to us in September 2025 which is outside the normal 12-month period for accepting complaints.
7. The time for receiving complaints is from when someone became aware of the matter they wished to complain about, not when they complained to the Council or it issued its final response. We would expect someone to complain to us within a year, even if they were dissatisfied with the time the complaints procedure was taking. In this case she became aware of the decision not to allocate the property she bid on in May 2023 and she complained about it at the time.
8. Ms X remains on the housing register with a high priority but there is no set timescale for being allocated a home as it depends on the level of demand and vacancies occurring.

Back to top

Final decision

9. We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about the Council’s assessment of a housing application. This complaint was received outside the normal 12-month period for investigating complaints. There is no evidence to suggest that Ms X could not have complained to us sooner.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman