Leicester City Council (24 005 927 fr)

Report Upheld Homelessness 09-Mar-2026

Summary: We have written this further report because the Council has refused to comply with one of the recommendations made in our report issued on 9 October 2025. Although the Council has confirmed it will apologise to Mr X and make a payment of £500 for the distress its fault caused, it has refused to remedy all the personal injustice caused. We are not satisfied with the Council’s explanation for refusing to fully remedy the personal injustice to Mr X. We have issued this further report to highlight our continuing concerns.

London Borough of Lambeth (24 023 371)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 03-Feb-2026

Summary: Miss Y complained about the way the Council dealt with repairs at her permanent rented home and proposed new rented home, as her landlord; and its failure to provide her with suitable temporary accommodation. We have found fault and maladministration, causing injustice, by the Council in: failing to address the severe disrepair issues at Property A; poor record keeping; failure to evidence it offered Miss Y the opportunity to move her belongings out of Property A; and its failure to provide her with suitable accommodation from January 2024 to October 2024. The Council has agreed to remedy this injustice by: apologising to Miss Y for its failures, clearing any arrears, making payments and service improvements.

London Borough of Barnet (25 000 158)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 03-Feb-2026

Summary: Ms X complained about the Council’s actions when she found out she was going to be evicted and it placed her in temporary homeless accommodation. She also complained about how it handled her housing register reassessment request. We found fault because of poor communication from the Council, a delayed suitability assessment of her accommodation and it not reviewing documents it said it would. This caused Ms X avoidable distress, frustration and uncertainty. To remedy the injustice caused, the Council will apologise to Ms X, make a payment to her and share guidance with its officers.

Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (25 012 014)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 03-Feb-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about utility liability. The Council have provided a suitable remedy.

London Borough of Haringey (24 013 936)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 02-Feb-2026

Summary: Mrs X complains the Council did not deal properly with her homelessness and temporary accommodation. The Council did not properly apply its policy in relation to compensation. Mrs X suffered avoidable distress because she was offered an inappropriate remedy. The Council should apologise and make a symbolic payment to Mrs X.

London Borough of Lambeth (24 021 802)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 02-Feb-2026

Summary: We found fault on the complaint against the Council sent by Mr Y on behalf of his son, Mr Z, when dealing with his homeless application. It failed to properly consider whether it owed a duty to provide interim accommodation, delayed reaching a decision about whether it owed him a main housing duty, wrongly referred him to a housing provider, and missed a timescale under its own complaints procedure. The Council agreed to send Mr Z an apology, pay him £600, and review its processes. These actions remedy the injustice caused.

London Borough of Camden (25 010 268)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 02-Feb-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of Mr X’s homelessness application. This is because the Council upheld his complaint about poor communication and apologised to him. Mr X also had the right to ask for a review of the Council’s decision and it was reasonable for him to exercise that right.

London Borough of Camden (25 012 478)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 02-Feb-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council has dealt with Ms X’s housing application. This is because there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by doing so.

London Borough of Lambeth (25 013 675)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 02-Feb-2026

Summary: Ms X complained the Council failed to find her alternative temporary accommodation following a domestic violence incident at a property the Council provided. She also complained the Council failed to update her housing application when she tried to update it. We found there was failure to properly consider prioritising a transfer to alternative temporary accommodation. We recommended an apology and payment for distress caused. We did not investigate other issues about her housing application as the events occurred too long ago.

Bristol City Council (25 011 310)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Homelessness 30-Jan-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s decision that she became intentionally homeless. This is because it would have been reasonable for her to have used her right of appeal to the county court.