Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s decision to remove his housing register priority. The complaint is late and there is no good reason to investigate now.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council revoked a social housing property after he had been shortlisted and initially verified for the offer in 2023.

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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.
3. 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)
4. 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

5. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
6. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

7. In 2023, Mr X was shortlisted for a social housing property. The Council identified Mr X had moved into settled private rented accommodation in 2021. It reassessed Mr X’s housing application and explained his housing priority was removed because he was adequately housed.
8. Mr X says the Council should have offered him the social housing property because he had spent a long time on the housing register.
9. Mr X has been aware of these matters since 2023. We normally expect people to complain to us within 12 months of becoming aware of a problem. Mr X did not complain to the Ombudsman until November 2025. We look at each complaint individually and, on its merits, considering the circumstances of each case. However, we do not exercise discretion to accept a late complaint unless there are good reasons to do so. I have considered whether to exercise our discretion to investigate the complaint, but I have seen no good reasons to do so.
10. Even if the complaint was not late, we would not investigate. The Council must offer housing in line with its policy. Mr X was not entitled to homelessness priority after moving into private rented accommodation. There is not enough evidence of fault in the Council’s application of its policy to justify an investigation.

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Final decision

We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the complaint is late and there is no good reason to investigate now.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman