London Borough of Bexley (25 005 775)

Statement Not upheld Homelessness 24-Mar-2026

Summary: There is no evidence of fault by the Council. The Council emailed Miss X to tell her she did not need to move out of her Temporary Accommodation. Miss X says she did not receive this, but there is not enough evidence to reach a conclusion the email was not delivered.

London Borough of Waltham Forest (25 005 931)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 24-Mar-2026

Summary: Ms X complains the Council mishandled and delayed dealing with her homelessness application putting her at risk from an abusive ex-partner causing distress. We found service failure by the Council as it was unable to move Ms X to more suitable accommodation immediately due to a lack of available accommodation but it was working proactively with Ms X to secure accommodation. But this fault did not cause an injustice to Ms X. So, we have completed our investigation.

London Borough of Lambeth (25 007 836)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 24-Mar-2026

Summary: Ms X complained the Council has delayed moving her to alternative suitable temporary accommodation. We find the Council was at fault for its delay in moving Ms X to alternative suitable temporary accommodation. This means Ms X has been deprived of living in suitable accommodation. The Council has agreed to apologise to Ms X and make a payment to her.

Watford Borough Council (25 009 804)

Statement Not upheld Homelessness 24-Mar-2026

Summary: Mr F complained about the way the Council dealt with his homeless application. We have ended our investigation. This is because Mr F has appealed to the Court about the Council’s decision, which means we cannot investigate.

London Borough of Enfield (25 017 985)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 24-Mar-2026

Summary: We cannot investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of her homelessness case prior to February 2025 because she has taken court action. We cannot investigate later events at this stage because the law says the Council must have the chance to comment before we can consider investigating.

London Borough of Newham (25 005 345)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 23-Mar-2026

Summary: Ms X complained the Council failed to action homelessness application in July and November 2024 and failed to action a referral to children’s social care. The Council accepts fault in respect of the three incidents above which Ms X says impacted on her mental and physical health. A suitable remedy including a symbolic payment and service improvements is agreed.

London Borough of Lambeth (25 006 875)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 23-Mar-2026

Summary: Miss D complains about the handling of her homelessness application and being awarded an incorrect qualifying date for the housing register. I have found some fault by the Council including delay, an insufficient personalised housing plan and an incorrect qualifying date. The Council has agreed to apologise to Miss D, correct the qualifying date and pay redress for avoidable distress.

London Borough of Lambeth (25 007 411)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 23-Mar-2026

Summary: Miss B complained the Council has failed to complete repair works at her temporary accommodation. The Council was at fault. It has delayed carrying out repair works and failed to ensure they have been completed. It also delayed making a suitability decision and its communication was poor. Miss B suffered distress and frustration and spent time and trouble chasing the Council. She was also denied the opportunity to request a review. The Council has agreed to apologise to Miss B, ensure the repair works have been completed, make symbolic payments, and issue staff briefings.

London Borough of Tower Hamlets (25 003 968)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 20-Mar-2026

Summary: Miss X complained about how the Council handled her reports of disrepair in her temporary accommodation. We have found the Council at fault for its poor communication and complaint handling, failure to escalate the enforcement action against the property management agency, and delay in accepting Miss X’s review request. This fault caused Miss X distress, uncertainty and frustration. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment and complete the suitability review.

London Borough of Hackney (25 013 337)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 20-Mar-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s delay in issuing its section 202 review decision. The Council has now made its decision and has agreed to apologise for the delay. Further investigation by us is therefore not proportionate.