London Borough of Harrow (13 018 894)
Summary
Complaint from a man that the council took too long to decide his homelessness application.
The complaint
Complaint from a man that the council took too long to decide his homelessness application. He also complains that the council did not consider if bed and breakfast accommodation was suitable for his family and failed to move him and his family within six weeks. The council offered self-contained accommodation but it was outside of its borough and it gave no details of where the property would be or how long he would stay there.
Finding
The Ombudsman upheld the complaint and found fault causing injustice.
Reccommendations
To remedy the injustice, we recommend the council:
- pay the man £250 to recognise the uncertainty its delay caused and his lost right of appeal
- pay him a futher £400 to recognise the effect on his family of living in bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than it should
- consider making similiar payments to other people who have suffered an injustice as a result of living in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks, and
- confirm within three months that it has reviewed its procedures and has made progress to prevent this happening again.