Catalogue of delays by London borough left resident in unsuitable accommodation for more than two years

The resident, Ms X, experienced significant avoidable distress, frustration and uncertainty as a result of the council’s faults.

The background to the complaint was that in September 2022, Ms X was referred to the council by a specialist domestic abuse service due to risks to her wellbeing.

Croydon assessed her as vulnerable and provided interim accommodation at Property ‘H’, despite medical advice suggesting supported accommodation might be preferable.

Over the following year, multiple professionals raised concerns that Property ‘H’ was exacerbating the resident’s mental health difficulties.

Despite repeated requests from representatives of the resident, Croydon did not provide any clarity on her housing status or respond to concerns in a timely manner.

The council accepted the main housing duty in December 2023, backdated to November, but did notify the resident until February 2024.

A suitability review was requested in May 2024 and confirmed in October 2024, finding Property ‘H’ unsuitable on medical grounds.

The same month Ms X was told she owed rent arrears amounting to £25,000.

She took out loans and borrowed money, making payments of around £700, before she was admitted to hospital.

The council subsequently found the resident had not been properly signed up to the tenancy at Property H. It said her housing benefit claim would likely be adjusted back to the beginning of her tenancy at Property H to reflect this, clearing the arrears.

Ms X said Croydon would not refund any money already paid, however.

She was moved to appropriate self-contained accommodation in November 2024.

The Ombudsman found, on the balance of probabilities, that Croydon did not consider whether Property ‘H’ was suitable for the resident when it provided it as interim accommodation, which was fault.

Additionally, it failed to correctly start the tenancy at Property H, leading her to accrue significant arrears and service charges she was unaware of.

The Ombudsman found numerous examples of fault in the administration of Ms X's homelessness application – namely for:

• not properly documenting its decisions and for not properly notifying the resident;
• failing to issue the resident with a copy of her PHP;
• the delay of over a year before accepting the housing duty (it should have been 56 days) and failure to notify the resident of this decision in writing until February 2024;
• the delay in ensuring the resident could bid on suitable accommodation.

Finally, the Ombudsman found fault in the significant delay in managing Ms X’s suitability assessment and poor communication alongside delays in the handling of the resident’s complaint, during which the council incorrectly referred the resident to the Housing Ombudsman Service.

Croydon told the Ombudsman it fully accepted the impact its faults had on the complainant, saying it had backdated her application registration to September 2022, the point of her approach.

The council also wrote off the significant arrears Ms X had unknowingly accrued at Property H.

However, the Ombudsman said: “These are positive actions, which provide a partial remedy to some of the injustice Ms X has experienced. However, the other injustice identified in this statement has not been adequately recognised or remedied.”

The Ombudsman has therefore recommended that Croydon provide a written apology and pay a total of £8,000 in recognition of the injustice experienced.

This was broken down as follows:

• £7,800 in recognition of the time spent in unsuitable accommodation. This was calculated at £300 per month, for 26 months.
• £200 to recognise the avoidable time and trouble the resident experienced due to the council’s complaints handling failures.

Croydon Council has been approached for comment.

Harry Rodd