Immigration Enforcement to review guidance following Ombudsman's investigation

What happened

Mr R was living in a shared room in Immigration Enforcement-funded accommodation while he had an outstanding asylum application. This accommodation was provided by a contracted property provider on Immigration Enforcement's behalf. Mr R was unhappy about his roommate's behaviour and asked for a change of room. Unfortunately, the guidance on who was responsible for dealing with his request was unclear. As a result, Mr R was passed between Immigration Enforcement and the property provider and no one took appropriate action. Mr R did not get a response to his request for a room move for more than a year.

What we found

The conflicting guidance meant that Mr R was placed in a very frustrating situation. He waited far too long to receive a final response to his request to move rooms and to his complaint.

The contracted property provider took too long to handle Mr R's complaint and did not act in line with its complaint procedure.

Putting it right

We recommended that Immigration Enforcement should pay Mr R £500 for stress and inconvenience, apologise, review its guidance and implement systemic changes to make sure that Immigration Enforcement and the property provider are clear about their roles and responsibilities.