Kensington and Chelsea Council has been ordered to pay £3,800 to the resident
A resident living in a one-bedroom basement flat was left without heating or water for over nine months. Kensington and Chelsea Council has been ordered to pay over £3,800 in compensation to their tenant by the Housing Ombudsman.
The lack of facilities left the man, who struggled with anxiety and depression, needing to spend time at the homes of family and friends. He also complained that the property was “uninhabitable” upon moving in, with no locks on windows and dampness, alongside the issues with heating and hot water.
The resident reported that there was no heating or hot water upon moving into the property on August 3, 2022. A new boiler was not installed in the property until May 15, 2023, meaning the Christmas holiday season was spent with cold water and no central heating.
Kensington and Chelsea Council was found responsible for severe maladministration, in relation to the “unreasonable” delay and failure to provide replacements for the lack of heating or hot water, a Housing Ombudsman report found.
“The landlord unreasonably delayed in ensuring there was hot water and heating in the property for a significant period of time. It did not offer temporary solutions, consider any potential health and safety risks or whether to temporarily rehouse the resident. It identified some failures of service and offered the resident redress but did not identify all its failures or respond to all his concerns,” said the report.
Kensington and Chelsea Council was also found responsible for maladministration in responding to complaints that the resident had no locks on their windows. It found the same outcome for not completing arranged works following a damp inspection.
The landlord did complete some recommended repairs following a second inspection but provided insufficient evidence that it completed them as agreed or within the agreed timescale, the report found.
Kensington and Chelsea Council was also found responsible for maladministration in its delay in escalating the resident’s complaint and failing to respond to their complaint that the property was uninhabitable when it was let to him.
As well as £3,8000 in compensation, the council has been told to apologise to their tenant and write up a learning order, sending this to both the resident and Ombudsman. It must also investigate the complaint that the property was not to a “lettable” standard when they moved in.
Kensington and Chelsea Council must also respond in writing to the resident’s reports that there is still damp in the property and claims it failed to paint a lounge wall, as well as send the Ombudsman information on the status of a leak in the flat. All remedial action was required to be undertaken by December 16, 2025.
A Kensington and Chelsea Council spokesperson said: “We accept the Ombudsman’s findings and acknowledge that the service provided in this case fell short of the standards we expect.
“We sincerely apologise for the unacceptable delay. We recognise the impact this had and are committed to ensuring that similar situations do not arise in the future. Following this case in 2022, we undertook a thorough review of our processes and as a result we have implemented several improvements.
“These include fully testing heating and hot water systems and completing any necessary boiler replacements before a new tenancy begins. We also now hold weekly review meetings with our new gas and heating contractor to ensure that prompt appointments are arranged for new residents and that gas supplies are restored without delay.”
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