London Borough of Waltham Forest (25 014 373)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 28-Apr-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s failure to contact a letting agent. The Council provided a suitable remedy for Miss X’s injustice. An investigation would not achieve more for her.

Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (25 010 141)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 27-Apr-2026

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council has not completed repairs to her home since she reported them in March 2024. Mrs X said this distressed her and impacted her financially. There was fault in the way the Council has not reviewed the suitability of the property and not completed repairs. Mrs X and her family have lived in unsuitable accommodation since March 2024. The Council agreed to apologise, complete a suitability review and make a financial payment.

London Borough of Tower Hamlets (25 013 358)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 27-Apr-2026

Summary: We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about the Council’s discharge of its homelessness duty in 2024 and its failure to evict Mrs X from her former temporary accommodation. The complaint about the homelessness decision was received outside the normal 12-month period for investigating complaints. There is no evidence to suggest that Mrs X could not have complained to us sooner. There is no fault in the Council’s delay in evicting her from her current accommodation.

London Borough of Ealing (25 003 373)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 27-Apr-2026

Summary: Miss Y complained about the Council’s handling of her homelessness and housing applications. We have found fault by the Council, causing injustice, in failing to: provide Miss Y with suitable interim and temporary accommodation from March 2024 to November 2025; properly consider her medical information before making a decision about her priority in January 2025; and tell her about her right to ask for a review of the decision. The Council has agreed to remedy this injustice by: apologising; making payments to recognise the impact of the failures to provide suitable accommodation, and when making and notifying Miss Y about its medical priority decision; and service improvements.

London Borough of Hounslow (25 005 537)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 27-Apr-2026

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s handling of his review request of accommodation it sourced for him linked to his homelessness application. We found fault because the Council took too long to complete a suitability review of the accommodation. This caused him avoidable distress, frustration and uncertainty. To remedy this injustice, the Council has agreed to apologise and make a payment to him.

London Borough of Islington (25 006 886)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 27-Apr-2026

Summary: Miss X complained the Council did not properly respond to her application for homelessness assistance because it failed to decide she was in priority need, took over 10 months to decide it owed her the main housing duty, and had poor communication. We find the Council at fault for delays in making decisions which deprived Miss X of suitable accommodation and caused significant distress. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a symbolic payment to remedy the injustice.

Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (25 018 028)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 27-Apr-2026

Summary: We upheld a complaint from Ms B, who spent nine months living in a hotel with her three children following flood damage to a flat she lived in as temporary accommodation. We found the Council at fault for the time taken for Ms B to return, for not offering her suitable alternative housing and poor communications. We considered these faults caused Ms B the injustice of living in unsuitable accommodation and avoidable unnecessary distress. The Council accepted these findings. At the end of this statement, we set out action it agreed to take to remedy Ms B’s injustice and improve its service to try and avoid a repeat.

South Gloucestershire Council (25 006 248)

Report Upheld Homelessness 27-Apr-2026

Summary: Ms X complained the Council refused to support her and her child when they fled domestic abuse in 2023. Specifically, she says the Council decided they did not qualify for homelessness assistance because they did not have a local connection to the area. Instead, the Council referred them back to their previous area, where the domestic abuse had occurred, on the basis that they had a local connection there. Ms X says these decisions have severely affected her mental health and wellbeing and placed her and her child at risk of further harm.

London Borough of Waltham Forest (25 008 661)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 26-Apr-2026

Summary: Mr D says the Council delayed progressing his homelessness application, failed to provide interim accommodation and delayed providing temporary accommodation. I have found extensive fault by the Council which meant Mr D’s family had to remain in housing that was unreasonable to occupy for 15 months longer than necessary. The Council has made service improvements, and agreed to pay Mr D redress.

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (25 011 060)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 26-Apr-2026

Summary: Mr X complained about how the Council handled his housing/homelessness case. There was fault by the Council for its failure to have a policy in relation to the storage of homeless applicants’ personal belongings in line with the provision of the Housing Act 1996. This caused no significant injustice to Mr X, but the Council will take action to complete the service improvement.