Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council's handling of the complainant's housing application. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation. Other issues concerning the delayed processing of Mr X’s housing change of circumstances are late, and there is no good reason to consider them now.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council delayed processing a change of circumstances submitted in November 2022, leaving his housing application suspended and preventing him from bidding for housing. Mr X says the Council later reinstated the application but then suspended and removed it from the housing register based on concerns about his residence despite him providing supporting information.

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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/care provider has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
3. 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 and we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
4. 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

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. Mr X says the Council delayed processing a change of circumstances he submitted in November 2022. In March 2025, The Council accepted there was a significant delay in dealing with the matter and provided a financial remedy in response to the complaint.
8. Mr X came to the Ombudsman in June 2026. The delay and suspension between November 2022 and November 2024 are therefore late complaints. We will not investigate this part of the complaint because I have seen no good reason why Mr X could not have approached us sooner about these matters.
9. Mr X also complains about the Council's later decision to suspend and remove his housing application following verification enquiries. The application was suspended in February 2025 pending further checks. The Council wrote to Mr X on 2 June 2025 confirming its decision to close his housing application and explaining the reasons for that decision. I have considered this aspect of the complaint because the Council communicated its final decision within 12 months of Mr X bringing his complaint to the Ombudsman.
10. The Council requested information from Mr X, referred the matter to its verification team, carried out enquiries, visited the address Mr X said he occupied, and gathered further evidence before reaching its decision.
11. The Ombudsman is not an appeal body. We cannot decide whether the complainant was residing at a particular address or whether the Council reached the right outcome. Our role is to consider whether the Council followed a proper decision-making process.
12. I have seen insufficient evidence to suggest the Council failed to follow its allocations policy or failed to make appropriate enquiries before reaching its decision. The Council considered information obtained during its verification investigation and explained the reasons for its decision.
13. We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s assessment of Mr X’s housing application. There is insufficient evidence of fault in the Council's decision-making process. We could not question the merits of the decision to suspend or remove the Mr X's application from the housing register. The Council also provided Mr X with a right to request a review of its decision, which it is reasonable for him to use.

Final decision

14. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint. There is insufficient evidence of fault in the Council's decision to suspend and remove Mr X's housing application to warrant an investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman