Wandsworth Council has been ordered to pay £500 to a vulnerable mother after a watchdog found it delayed her homelessness application and withdrew two accommodation offers before eventually rehousing her. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman ruled the council's failings caused the woman, identified as Ms X, distress and uncertainty, affecting her family and health.
Delays and repeated document requests
Ms X made a homelessness application to the council in March 2025 after being served a Section 21 eviction notice by her landlord, who was selling the property. She said the council did not respond to her application despite repeated requests for an update.
In May, the council asked Ms X to resend the same documents twice, by which point she said her mental health had declined due to extreme stress. The council arranged a meeting with her later that month. The Ombudsman found the council at fault for delaying the assessment and for requiring her to resubmit documents it already had.
Three-month delay in securing accommodation
The watchdog also found the council delayed accepting its relief duty to help Ms X secure suitable accommodation for around three weeks, only doing so in early August. It said the authority was at fault again for not arranging emergency accommodation for Ms X and her children, who were in priority need.
The council withdrew its first temporary accommodation offer in September because it was too far from her children's school. The Ombudsman said the council did not take active steps to find another placement until Ms X prompted them. A second offer in November was also withdrawn because repairs to the property took longer than expected.
The council offered Ms X suitable temporary accommodation towards the end of November, a delay of three months overall. She moved in with her children a week later.
Service improvements and apology
The report noted: "The Ombudsman has already made service recommendations to this council to prevent future injustice from similar fault on similar cases. These service improvements have been made during and since the events in this investigation."
The watchdog ordered the council to apologise to Ms X and pay her £500 for the delay in processing her homelessness application, accepting the relief duty, sourcing suitable accommodation, and for poor communication.
A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said: "We take the findings of this report very seriously, are keen to learn from it and, as the Ombudsman points out, have already made improvements to our homelessness service as a result so that residents facing homelessness are better supported. We apologise once again for any distress caused to Ms X."
