Birmingham City Council (21 002 185)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 13-Dec-2021
Summary: Ms B complained about the Council's response when she became homeless. We found fault with the Council for leaving the family in unsuitable accommodation for a prolonged period. We also found there were delays in the suitability review and complaint process. The Council agreed actions to remedy the injustice to Ms B and her children.
London Borough of Camden (20 008 324)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 09-Dec-2021
Summary: Mr B says the Council wrongly removed him from the housing register, refused to accept his request for a review of that decision, failed to deal with his homeless applications properly and failed to follow its complaints policy. There is no fault in how the Council dealt with Mr B's housing register application. The Council failed to deal with Mr B's homeless applications properly and failed to act appropriately when dealing with his complaint. An apology, payment to Mr B and training for officers is satisfactory remedy.
London Borough of Redbridge (20 013 400)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 06-Dec-2021
Summary: Ms X complained the Council threatened to dispose of her personal belongings which it had stored for her since her eviction from a property in 2017. There was no fault in the Council threatening to dispose of Ms X's property because she failed to make regular payments for storage, in line with her agreement, leading to arrears on her account. However, there was fault in the Council's communication with Ms X about its decision. The Council agreed to write to Ms X and apologise for the uncertainty and confusion this caused. It agreed to clearly explain whether it believes it has a duty to continue protecting her belongings, ensuring its decision is in line with relevant law and guidance.
Bristol City Council (21 002 533)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 06-Dec-2021
Summary: The Council's failure to provide proper assistance when Mr X approached as homeless in 2018 was fault. As a result, Mr X slept in his van for 21 months. The Council should apologise, pay Mr X £8,100, and take action to improve its services.
London Borough of Wandsworth (20 005 746)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 02-Dec-2021
Summary: Miss X complained there were errors in the way the Council dealt with her homelessness application and delays in providing her with suitable temporary accommodation. The delays and failings in the way the Council dealt with Miss X's homelessness application amount to fault. This fault has caused Miss X an injustice.
London Borough of Redbridge (21 000 799)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 29-Nov-2021
Summary: Mrs X complained about the Council's actions and decisions around her housing and homelessness applications between 2019 and 2021. The Council was at fault. It delayed issuing Mrs X with a homelessness decision letter and then delayed issuing her Personal Housing Plan for seven months. It meant on balance that Mrs X remained in interim accommodation for longer than necessary. The Council agreed to apologise and pay her a total of £1,100 to recognise the distress, uncertainty and time and trouble caused.
London Borough of Haringey (20 008 763)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 26-Nov-2021
Summary: The Ombudsman found fault by the Council on Miss Q's complaint about it failing to provide her with suitable temporary accommodation. It failed to show an inspection and necessary checks were done before she moved in. It delayed dealing with reports about mould and damp. It also failed to move her to suitable alternative temporary accommodation for 18 months. The agreed action remedies the injustice caused.
Lewes District Council (21 001 505)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 25-Nov-2021
Summary: Miss X complains the Council failed to provide adequate support when she and her partner were being evicted from their property. The Council is at fault as it failed to provide adequate support to Miss X and Mr Y with their housing. It failed to refer them for floating support and failed to contact them for several months. As a result Miss X and Mr Y were caused significant distress. The Council has agreed to remedy Miss X and Mr Y's injustice by apologising and making a payment of £250 to them.
Broadland District Council (20 012 728)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 23-Nov-2021
Summary: Mr C complained about the way the Council responded when he became homeless. We did not find fault with the way the Council handled Mr C's homelessness application. We found some fault with the way the Council handled Mr C's complaint and restricted his contact. We also found fault with the Council for failing to consider its duty under the Equality Act 2010. Mr C did not suffer a significant injustice from the fault.
Sevenoaks District Council (21 000 767)
Statement Upheld Homelessness 22-Nov-2021
Summary: Mr X complains about how the Council dealt with his housing and homeless case. The Council was at fault for failing to decide whether Mr X was threatened with homelessness in a timely manner and whether it owed him a prevention duty. The Council was also at fault for its poor record keeping and poor communication with Mr X. As a result, the Council's failings caused Mr X distress, uncertainty, inconvenience and financial loss. The Council will take action to remedy the injustice caused.