A Croydon man has complained to the Housing Ombudsman after homes in his apartment building were used for affordable housing. He claims Croydon Council bought flats in the development despite the fact he was assured the block was for privately owned housing only.
The full complaint reads: “Mr X complains the council purchased flats on the development where he lives. He says the council is using the properties as affordable housing. However, he says before he bought his property he was assured the development was for privately owned, open market housing only.”
This was quickly thrown out by an Ombudsman who provided a brief rejection of the complaint. The investigator said the complainant became aware of the affordable housing when he moved into the flat – the exact location of which was not shared – five years ago. Complaints about a council’s actions must be made within 12 months, resulting in no further action being taken.
In their final decision, the Ombudsman said: “We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because he confirms he bought his property five years ago and became aware of the affordable housing at the same time.
“The law says we cannot investigate late complaints unless there are good reasons. Mr X says he raised the issue with the Council at the time but chose not to pursue the matter. His complaint is therefore late, and we have seen no good reasons to exercise discretion in this case.”
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