Wandsworth Council told to pay tenant £250 after heating failure

Wandsworth Council has been instructed to issue an apology and pay £250 to a tenant after failing to address a lack of heating and hot water in her temporary accommodation for four months. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found the council did not respond to the tenant's complaint until March 2025.

Ombudsman investigation

The tenant, identified as Ms X, reported issues including a lack of heating, hot water, and damp in her property in November 2024. The Ombudsman's report stated there was no evidence the council responded to her complaint until a visit in March 2025. Ms X informed the council she was at risk of homelessness in early 2024, and was evicted on May 9 that year before being moved into temporary accommodation by the authority.

While the Ombudsman found the council was not at fault for its handling of her initial homelessness application or the accommodation offered, it identified failings in how the council responded to reports of disrepair. The watchdog noted that Ms X's reports should have prompted the council to reconsider the suitability of the accommodation, but it failed to do so. This failure, the Ombudsman concluded, caused Ms X a period of uncertainty regarding the property's suitability.

The issues reported by Ms X were never resolved in the property, and she has since moved into alternative accommodation. The council was directed to pay her £250 for the uncertainty caused by its failure to review the suitability of her accommodation.