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Wandsworth Council to apologise and pay £250 over temporary home with no heating
The ombudsman said the council should have checked whether the home was still suitable once the woman reported no heating, no hot water and damp.
Key facts
- Ombudsman told Wandsworth Council to apologise and pay the woman £250
- She complained about no heating or hot water in November 2024
- No evidence the council acted on her disrepair reports until a visit in March 2025
- The woman has since moved to other accommodation
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has told Wandsworth Council to apologise to a woman in temporary accommodation and pay her £250. She complained in November 2024 that her home had no heating or hot water, and the council did not act until March 2025.
The ombudsman’s report refers to the woman as Ms X. She also reported damp and said her landlord had not answered her complaints. She said the council never replied to her email and the problems were never fixed.
What the ombudsman found
The watchdog said there was no evidence the council dealt with her reports of disrepair before a visit in March 2025. At that visit the council accepted that repairs were needed, but it did not make sure the landlord carried them out.
The ombudsman said her complaints should have prompted the council to look again at whether the property was still suitable. “This was fault,” it concluded, adding that Ms X was left unsure for a time whether her home was suitable.
The investigation did not find fault with how the council first handled her homelessness application, or with the accommodation it offered her. Ms X told the council early in 2024 that she was at risk of losing her home. She was evicted on 9 May that year and then placed in temporary accommodation.
What happens next
Ms X has since moved to different accommodation. The £250 recognises the uncertainty she faced because the council did not keep checking whether her home was still suitable, and the council has also been told to apologise.
Key questions
Why was Wandsworth Council told to pay £250?
The ombudsman found the council did not reconsider whether her temporary accommodation was still suitable after she reported disrepair, which left her uncertain.
What did the tenant complain about?
No heating or hot water, plus damp, and a landlord who had not replied to her complaints.
Was the council at fault over the accommodation it first offered?
No. The ombudsman did not fault its first handling of her homelessness application or the accommodation it offered.
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