Kensington and Chelsea Council must pay compensation over housing delays

Kensington and Chelsea Council has been ordered to pay at least £950 in compensation over delays in finding a homeless man suitable accommodation.

The man, referred to as Mr Y, asked the council for help when he became unemployed and lost his home.

He waited months until he was offered a place in an interim hostel, and had to sleep in his car during this time.

The ombudsman found the council was at fault for failing to "make prompt inquiries and carry out an assessment".

It took the council three months to look into Mr Y's case after he contacted them in September 2020, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Onus is on the council'

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found the council did not support Mr Y to apply for the social housing register, instead providing him with information about privately rented accommodation.

Once he moved into a privately rented home the council said it had fulfilled its duty, and it was not until August 2021 that it arranged a suitability assessment for Mr Y's accommodation.

The council told the ombudsman it required documentation from Mr Y "before it could undertake the necessary assessment".

However, the ombudsman found: "If the council has reason to believe that a person may be homeless, or threatened with homelessness within the next 56 days, the onus is on the council, rather than the applicant, to make prompt inquiries and carry out an assessment."

The ombudsman has ordered the council to to pay £300 for the time, trouble and frustration caused to Mr Y by poor record-keeping, and to pay £200 for not making reasonable attempts to contact him.

It has also been asked to pay a further £300 for depriving Mr Y of the chance to access emergency accommodation, and £150 for not giving him proper advice.