Summary: We cannot investigate Ms Q’s complaint about the Council’s handling of her mutual exchange application. This is because we have no jurisdiction to consider housing management issues.

The complaint

1. The complainant, whom I have called Ms Q, complained about the London Borough of Southwark’s handling of her mutual exchange application.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. We cannot investigate complaints about the provision or management of social housing by a council acting as a registered social housing provider. (Local Government Act 1974, paragraph 5A schedule 5, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered the information Ms Q provided.

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What I found

5. Ms Q is a Council tenant. She applied to the Council to do a mutual exchange of her property with another tenant. She later complained about the Council’s handling of her mutual exchange application.
6. The Council is a registered social housing provider. Ms Q’s complaint is about a council housing management issue. So we have no jurisdiction to investigate her complaint and cannot do so. I explained the reason for this in paragraph 3.

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Final decision

7. We cannot investigate Ms Q’s complaint as it is about a housing management issue.

Investigator’s decision on behalf of the Ombudsman

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman