Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s consideration of Miss X’s homeless application. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.

The complaint

1. Miss X complained about the Council’s offers of accommodation and discharge of its homeless relief duty in 2023.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints of injustice caused by ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. I have used the word fault to refer to these. We consider whether there was fault in the way an organisation made its decision. 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

3. I considered the information provided by the complainant and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Miss X approached the Council as potentially homeless in 2023 because her landlord had served a notice to quit. The Council accepted her under the prevention duty in July and in November it accepted her under the relief duty which meant it should provide interim accommodation. The Council provided emergency housing and offered Miss X a property outside London under its Private Rented Sector offer scheme, but she rejected this because she says it is too far away from her family connections.
6. Miss X told the Council she would stay with her sister for a month and the Council offered her interim accommodation in December. This was again outside London and Miss X declined the offer. The Council wrote to her and confirmed that it had discharged the relief duty a sit considered the offer to be suitable. Miss X complained to us on the same date.
7. Since she complained to us the Council made a further offer of interim accommodation extending the relief duty which Miss X accepted. In January 2024 the Council accepted the main housing duty to Miss X and is seeking alternative temporary accommodation for her.
8. Our role is not to ask whether an organisation could have done things better, or whether we agree or disagree with what it did. Instead, we look at whether there was fault in how it made its decisions. If we decide there was no fault in how it did so, we cannot ask whether it should have made a particular decision or say it should have reached a different outcome.
9. The Council made offers of accommodation to Miss X which it believed were suitable for her needs. When it discharged the relief duty following their rejection it exercised discretion to continue to offer interim accommodation when it became available.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s consideration of Miss X’s homeless application. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman