Adur District Council (23 003 909)
Category : Housing > Homelessness
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 05 Jul 2023
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to place Miss X in temporary accommodation. This is because the complaint concerns events that took place more than 12 ago and there is no good reason to investigate events that took place this long ago.
The complaint
- Miss X complained the Council placed her in temporary accommodation that was unsuitable for her needs.
- Miss X said she has suffered anxiety and depression due to the Council’s actions.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Miss X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- In March 2021 the Council accepted it had duty to house Miss X and placed her in temporary accommodation. In 2022 Miss X complained to the Council that the accommodation was of a poor quality and in an area she felt uncomfortable in.
- The Council told Miss X that having surveyed inventory pictures of the accommodation it did not agree the property was below acceptable standards. The Council explained there was a housing shortage at the time in the area but offered Miss X £535 compensation to address damaged furniture at the property.
- Miss X remains unhappy and wants us to find the Council at fault. The Ombudsman will not usually investigate complaints if they concern events that took place more than 12 months ago. In this case the events Miss X is complaining about took place over 2 years ago. It would have been reasonable for Miss X to bring these matters to the Ombudsman’s attention at the time.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because the complaint concerns events that took place more than 12 months ago.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman