Colchester City Council (25 002 534)

Statement Upheld Private housing 23-Mar-2026

Summary: We found fault by the Council on Mr Y’s complaint about it failing to promptly act on his reports of serious disrepairs and hazards in his privately rented home. The Council delayed dealing with his reports, as well as delayed checking, inspecting, and carrying out a Housing Health and Safety Rating System assessment of the property sooner than it did. It also failed to take formal enforcement action when it found a category 1 hazard. The Council agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment, and provide training and guidance to relevant officers.

Buckinghamshire Council (25 017 052)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Private housing 20-Mar-2026

Summary: We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about failure to inform Mrs X about the repayments for home improvement loans which she took out in 2012, 2016 and 2018. This complaint 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.

London Borough of Southwark (25 011 634)

Statement Upheld Private housing 18-Mar-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of his reports of disrepair. The Council has accepted some fault, for which it has apologised and offered an appropriate symbolic payment. Further investigation by us would not lead to a different outcome.

East Suffolk Council (25 015 571)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Private housing 18-Mar-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council taking action to issue a civil penalty for renting property which does not meet the government’s Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards. It was reasonable for Mr X to appeal against any penalty to the First-Tier Property Tribunal.

London Borough of Sutton (25 016 838)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Private housing 17-Mar-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about how the Council responded to reports of disrepair in his privately rented home. There is not enough evidence of fault in the Council’s processes to justify an investigation.

North Lincolnshire Council (25 019 167)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Private housing 13-Mar-2026

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about action the Council has taken against Miss X as a landlord. This is because part of the complaint is outside our jurisdiction as Miss X has used her legal right to appeal and we will not investigate the remaining issues, as further investigation is unlikely to find significant fault that would justify an investigation.

Central Bedfordshire Council (25 021 196)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Private housing 13-Mar-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to rehouse the complainant’s private tenant. This is because we are unlikely to find evidence of fault by the Council to justify investigating.

London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (25 017 226)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Private housing 12-Mar-2026

Summary: We will not investigate the Council’s handling of Mr D’s requests for housing support and his homelessness application between 2014 and 2020. This part of his complaint is late. We also cannot investigate his complaint about the Council’s involvement in subsequent legal proceedings. The law says we cannot investigate complaints about court or tribunal proceedings.

Crawley Borough Council (25 015 106)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Private housing 12-Mar-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of her reports of harassment by her landlord. There is insufficient evidence of fault causing sufficient injustice to justify further action.

Dorset Council (25 016 090)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Private housing 12-Mar-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s response to his reports of harassment by his landlord. There is insufficient evidence of fault in the Council’s decision‑making processes to justify an investigation.