A Kingston family was left without heating or hot water for weeks at a time after delays to repairs at their temporary accommodation, a report has revealed. Kingston Council has been slammed by a watchdog a who ruled the authority was too slow in arranging for officers to inspect the home.

The council was ordered to apologise and pay the mum, known as Mrs X in the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report, £750. Mrs X lives in the four-bed home with her partner, five kids and husband. It is owned by a private landlord and the council leases it from the owner's managing agents, referred to as Company A in the report. The family is vulnerable due to combined health issues, the report added.

Mrs X reported issues with the property to Company A and the council from the day she moved in on May 17, 2021, when she complained there was no heating or hot water, the cooker was broken, the fridge was not working properly and she was vulnerable as she had just been discharged from hospital and had a lung condition.

She continued to report issues with the property but officers from the council's allocations team did not inspect it until January 2022, according to the report.

Mrs X complained to the ombudsman in September 2022 that the council had failed to ensure Company A arranged timely repairs to fix recurring faults with the heating and hot water system, and to replace her cooker and fridge freezer. The family was left for "long periods with no or inadequate heating, and no hot water, often during the winter months" and "lacked adequate facilities to prepare meals", the report said.

Mrs X also complained the council did not respond adequately to her complaints about some of Company A's employees, including claims they gave the council wrong information, did not respond to her messages and blocked her calls.

The report said: "Mrs X experienced recurring issues with breakdowns of the heating and hot water system and inadequate heating. She was put to the time and trouble of chasing up Company A to complete outstanding repairs and reporting her concerns to the council. She was also left without heating or hot water for weeks at a time. This caused her and her family significant distress and discomfort.

"The council is ultimately responsible for any acts, or omissions, by Company A because it managed the temporary accommodation on behalf of the council."

It added: "The property is located in a different London borough some distance away from Kingston. But in view of Mrs X's frequent reports of defects and disrepair, the council should have arranged for officers to visit much sooner [than January 2022]."

The council did not have an agreed contract with Company A setting out clear service standards, the report continued. This meant it "could not properly hold Company A to account for its performance in managing properties and carrying out repairs". The authority had 26 homeless households in temporary accommodation managed by Company A in December 2022. 

Most of the repairs reported by Mrs X before September 2022 have been completed, the report added, but there are outstanding concerns about the radiators and oven.

The ombudsman told the council to apologise to Mrs X and pay her £750 to recognise the impact of the recurring loss of heating and hot water, delays in completing repairs and in replacing essential household appliances.

A Kingston Council spokesperson said: "Kingston Council is committed to the highest standards of customer service and takes all complaints very seriously. We are also committed to listening to and learning from feedback and welcome the input from the Housing Ombudsman.

"We have issued an apology to our customer and have since met with them and the provider of accommodation. We have inspected the property and agreed a schedule of works to resolve the issues. We will continue to monitor progress and work with all parties to address the issues in an agreed timeframe."