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 Brent (25 008 995)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 14-Apr-2026

Summary: Miss B complained about the way the Council dealt with her case when she approached as homeless in 2024. We found the Council did not deal with her application properly which caused Miss B distress and uncertainty regarding her housing options. The Council has agreed to increase its symbolic payment to Miss B.

North Yorkshire Council (24 020 471)

Statement Upheld Private housing 14-Apr-2026

Summary: We have not found the Council at fault for how it responded to Ms X’s complaint about the accessibility of Company 1’s complaints procedure. We have found the Council at fault for not taking its own view on a resolution to Ms X’s complaint about the distress and frustration caused by poor coordination of works in Ms X’s home, including deciding whether Ms X was entitled to compensation. The Council has agreed to act to address the uncertainty caused by considering the matter again and providing a written decision to Ms X.

London Borough of Ealing (25 003 579)

Statement Upheld Allocations 14-Apr-2026

Summary: We have found the Council at fault for its delay in completing a review of its decision about Miss X’s homelessness. We have also found the Council at fault for its inconsistent communication with Miss X during the same period. We find these faults caused injustice for Miss X and her child, meaning they experienced avoidable distress and uncertainty, and were deprived of suitable accommodation for longer than they otherwise would have been. The Council has agreed to apologise and pay a symbolic financial remedy to recognise the injustice caused. There are parts of Miss X's complaint we have not investigated. We explain why in our statement.

London Borough of Lambeth (25 013 341)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Allocations 14-Apr-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s decision about her priority for social housing. There is not enough evidence of fault in the Council’s decision making about medical priority to justify investigating.

Birmingham City Council (25 014 363)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 14-Apr-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about a charge the Council put on her property in 2011 because we could not achieve a worthwhile outcome, given the lapse of time.

London Borough of Tower Hamlets (25 018 479)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Managing council tenancies 14-Apr-2026

Summary: We cannot investigate Miss X’s complaint because it relates to the Council’s actions as registered social landlord, which is outside our remit. We will not investigate other parts of the complaint because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

Birmingham City Council (25 020 887)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council house sales and leaseholders 14-Apr-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of her Right to Buy. It is reasonable to expect Miss X to use her right to take court action.

Woking Borough Council (25 005 154)

Statement Upheld Allocations 13-Apr-2026

Summary: The Council was not at fault for the way it responded to Mr X’s homelessness. It was at fault in failing to offer to translate key homelessness letters, but this did not cause Mr X a significant injustice. The Council has agreed, through training or guidance, to ensure staff consider whether document translation is required.

London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (25 005 215)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 13-Apr-2026

Summary: Mr Q complains the Council did not properly handle his homeless application. It did not make a proper decision and then said he did not have a local connection. We uphold the complaint. The Council made a decision to not accept a new application from Mr Q based on a flawed analysis of whether he had had a change of circumstances. This will have caused him some distress and uncertainty. The Council has agreed to our recommendation of a symbolic payment as a remedy.