The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of Mr X’s homelessness situation. The complaint is late and there are no good reasons to decide to investigate now. Further, it was reasonable to expect Mr X to exercise his review rights.
The complaint
Mr X complains that the Council mishandled his homelessness situation, leading to him residing in an inappropriate property.
Mr X says that he complained to the Council at the time, and the issues continue to affect him.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
We usually expect people to complain to us within 12 months of the events complained about. Mr X complained to us in May 2025 about events in 2021. Although Mr X told us he has health issues and is dealing with ongoing issues with his housing, there are no good reasons for considering his complaint now.
Further, Mr X was advised of his review rights (section 202, Housing Act 1996) at the time. It was reasonable to expect Mr X to exercise his review and appeal rights. Only the court can quash the Council’s decision.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons to consider it now. Further, it was reasonable to expect Mr X to exercise his review rights.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman