London Borough of Hounslow

The complainant asked the London Borough of Hounslow ('the Council') why a specific Council property had remained unoccupied for many years. The request was made on 19 March 2025. The Council provided a response on 16 May 2025. During the Commissioner’s investigation in late 2025, the Council provided a further, more detailed final response setting out a timeline of lettings and the reasons for void periods.The Commissioner’s decision is that the Council breached section 10(1) FOIA by failing to respond to the request within 20 working days. However, on the balance of probabilities the Council has now conducted adequate searches and disclosed the recorded information it holds that falls within scope. Accordingly, the Council has satisfied its section 1(1) obligations by the close of the investigation.