Ms A complained that in February 2024, when she was assisted by Cardiff Council (“the Council”) to complete a housing benefit application, she was not informed that she could not apply, needing to apply for Universal Credit instead.
The Ombudsman found that Ms A had been assisted to complete a housing benefit application on 21 February 2024. Further, she had contacted the Council on 2 separate occasions following this. The Council did not make her aware that she could not apply for benefit until her application was reviewed on 13 March 2024. The Ombudsman decided that Ms A had suffered an injustice because she had missed the opportunity to apply for Universal Credit at an earlier date. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to, within 2 weeks, offer Ms A an apology and financial redress of£150 for the failure to notify her that she could not apply for housing benefit, thereby delaying her application for Universal Credit.