City of Westminster Council · Case 202415342 · 26 February 2026
City of Westminster Council — case 202415342
The landlord applied an incorrect heating and hot water charge due to a system error, then corrected it and refunded surplus charges. The Ombudsman found the landlord provided reasonable redress for both the handling of the elevated charges and its complaint handling, awarding compensation totalling £145.
Orders and recommendations
- Compensation
Compensation awarded for stress, delays, poor communication, anxiety and effects on health (totalling £145 across stage 1 and stage 2).
Compensation ordered
| Reason | Amount |
|---|---|
| Stress from incorrect heating and hot water charges (stage 1) | £20 |
| Further compensation for delays, poor communication, anxiety, stress and health effects (stage 2) | £100 |
| Compensation for complaint handling failures | £25 |
| Total | £145 |
Findings by complaint head
-
Handling of concerns about elevated charges for heating and hot water
Reasonable redressThe landlord applied an incorrect heating and hot water charge due to a system error. It corrected the error, refunded all surplus charges before 31 May 2024, apologised and awarded compensation. The Ombudsman found this provided reasonable redress.
-
Complaint handling
Reasonable redressThe landlord failed to acknowledge the complaint at stage 1 and failed to acknowledge the stage 2 escalation within its policy timescales, but issued responses within policy timescales and awarded £25 compensation. The failures had minimal impact and the redress was considered reasonable.
The full determination
Decision Case ID 202415342 Decision type Investigation Landlord City of Westminster Council Landlord type Local Authority / ALMO or TMO Occupancy Secure Tenancy Date 26 February 2026 Background On 29 February 2024, the landlord told the resident that heating and hot water charges would increase from April 2024. On 31 May 2024, the resident complained that the service charge had been adjusted but communication had been poor. The resident remained unhappy with the landlord’s response and contacted the Ombudsman on 17 December 2024 to request investigation.
What the complaint is about The complaint is about the landlord’s: Handling of concerns about elevated charges for heating and hot water. Complaint handling. Our decision (determination) We found that the landlord provided reasonable redress for its handling of concerns about elevated heating and hot water charges. We also found that the landlord provided reasonable redress for its complaint handling. Summary of reasons The circumstances of this complaint are well known by the parties involved, so it is not necessary to detail everything that’s happened or comment on all the information we’ve reviewed.
We’ve only included the key information that forms the basis of our decision of whether the landlord is responsible for maladministration. Handling of concerns about elevated charges for heating and hot water. On 29 February 2024, the landlord sent the resident a letter about changes to rent and service charges from 1 April 2024. The letter contained two different figures for heating and hot water charges. One section said the weekly charge would be £57.28. Another section said the weekly charge would remain at £24.
51. The landlord did not provide further information about communication between the landlord and the resident after the letter. The landlord told us that a system error caused incorrect charges to be applied. It said the error was identified in the last week of May 2024. This information is inconsistent because the resident complained on 31 May 2024 and said the issue had already been resolved but his ongoing concern was around the distress caused by the issue. In its stage 1 response on 12 June 2024, the landlord accepted that it had applied an incorrect heating and hot water charge.
The landlord explained that it corrected the error and removed the incorrect charges from 1 April 2024. The landlord said the charges were correct and said it had confirmed this to the resident in person on 31 May 2024. The landlord apologised and awarded £20 for stress. This response was reasonable because the landlord corrected the error and refunded all surplus charges before 31 May 2024. The resident escalated the complaint on 28 June 2024 because he felt the compensation offered was disrespectful.
The landlord issued its stage 2 response on 22 July 2024, apologised again and offered a further £100. It recognised delays, poor communication, anxiety, stress and effects on the resident’s health. This was a reasonable response because it accepted the failings and compensation offered aligned with the Ombudsman’s remedies guidance. Complaint handling The landlord’s complaints policy says it will acknowledge complaints within five working days. At stage 1 it aims to provide a response within ten working days of acknowledgement.
At stage 2 it aims to respond within twenty working days of acknowledgement. The resident raised his complaint on 31 May 2024 but the landlord did not acknowledge it. This did not comply with its complaint policy. The landlord issued its stage 1 response on 12 June 2024, which complied with the complaint policy. The resident escalated his complaint to stage 2 on 28 June 2024. This was acknowledged on 8 July 2024. This did not comply with the complaint policy. The landlord issued its stage 2 response on 22 July 2024, which did comply with the complaint policy.
The landlord recognised delays and poor communication and awarded £25 in compensation. The complaint handling failures had a minimal impact and the redress awarded is considered reasonable in response.
This is a structured summary of a published determination. The official decision is the authoritative record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.