Westminster council repairs: call 0800 358 3783 while the portal is down. Emergency, urgent and routine deadlines, Awaab's Law rules and complaints.
Westminster council repairs are reported by phone on 0800 358 3783, 24 hours a day. The online route, the MyWestminsterHousing portal, is still out of action: the council’s repairs page says that “due to ongoing technical issues” you cannot report a repair through the portal, and that calls may take longer than usual. The same number works for council tenants and leaseholders, and for emergencies at any hour.
Below are the deadlines the council sets itself for each kind of repair, the stricter legal timescales for damp and mould under Awaab’s Law, what you have to fix yourself, and how to complain if a repair is not done. We read every figure on westminster.gov.uk and GOV.UK on 17 October 2026.
How to report a repair
- Repairs line (tenants and leaseholders): 0800 358 3783, 24 hours a day including weekends and bank holidays.
- Damp, mould and condensation: the council’s condensation and mould service is on 0800 358 3785, and there is an online damp and mould report form on the council’s damp and mould page.
- Online portal: MyWestminsterHousing normally takes repair requests, but the council says it is unavailable for now.
When you call, ask for the job number and the target date. Every repair is given a target completion date when it is logged, and you need both if you later have to chase or complain.
The deadlines: how long each repair should take
Westminster sorts every repair into one of four categories.
| Category | Council target | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate (emergency) | Attend within 2 hours, make safe within 24 hours | Burst pipe, total loss of water or electricity, sparking or bare wires, water in the electrics, only toilet unusable |
| Urgent | Attend within 7 working days to carry out the repair | Blocked sink, bath or basin; problems affecting your access to utilities |
| Right to Repair | 1 to 7 working days, by repair type | See the table below |
| Non-urgent (routine) | Attend and complete within 28 working days | Anything that poses no threat to the occupants |
For an emergency, “make safe” may be a temporary fix. The council says it may need to come back another day to finish the full repair.
Right to Repair: the 20 fixed deadlines for secure tenants
If you are a secure council tenant, the government’s Right to Repair scheme sets a deadline for 20 common small repairs, as long as the job costs under £250 and was not caused by misuse. Westminster’s published list includes:
| Repair | Working days |
|---|---|
| Total loss of electric power | 1 |
| Partial loss of electric power | 3 |
| Unsafe power or lighting socket or fitting | 1 |
| Total loss of water supply | 1 |
| Partial loss of water supply | 3 |
| Total or partial loss of gas supply | 1 |
| Blocked flue to an open fire or boiler | 1 |
| Heating or hot water not working, 1 November to 30 April | 1 |
| Heating or hot water not working, 1 May to 31 October | 3 |
| Blocked or leaking foul drain, soil stack or toilet | 1 |
| Only toilet not flushing | 1 |
| Blocked sink, bath or basin | 3 |
| Tap cannot be turned | 3 |
| Leak from a water pipe, tank or cistern | 1 |
| Leaking roof | 7 |
| Insecure external window, door or lock | 1 |
| Loose or detached banister or handrail | 3 |
| Rotten timber flooring or stair tread | 3 |
| Door entry phone not working | 7 |
| Mechanical extractor fan not working | 7 |
Note the heating line: from 1 November, a broken boiler or no hot water becomes a next-working-day repair rather than three days.
Damp and mould: Awaab’s Law timescales
Since 27 October 2025, Awaab’s Law has required social landlords in England, including Westminster City Council, to deal with damp and mould that poses a significant risk of harm, and with any emergency hazard, within fixed legal deadlines. It is named after Awaab Ishak, the two-year-old who died after being exposed to mould in his family’s home in Rochdale.
The government’s Awaab’s Law guidance for social landlords sets these timescales, counted from when the landlord becomes aware of the problem:
- Emergency hazards: investigate and carry out the safety work within 24 hours.
- Significant hazards: investigate within 10 working days.
- Written summary: give the tenant a written summary of the findings within 3 working days of the investigation ending.
- Safety work: complete it within 5 working days of the investigation ending, if a significant hazard is found.
- Longer-term work: start, or take steps to start, any further preventative work within 5 working days, and physically begin it within 12 weeks.
- If the home cannot be made safe in time, the landlord must offer suitable alternative accommodation.
The guidance says the government will extend the same timescales to other hazards, including excess cold and heat, falls, structural collapse, fire and electrical hazards, and then in 2027 to the remaining hazards in the housing health and safety rating system.
Awaab’s Law covers tenants. If you are a leaseholder, damp and mould inside your flat is usually your own responsibility unless it comes from the structure or a communal part of the building; the council’s leaseholder pages have a separate damp report route.
What to do: report damp or mould in writing as well as by phone, using the online form, so there is a dated record of when the council became aware. Take photos, and ask for the written summary of the investigation if you do not receive it.
What tenants fix themselves
The council’s tenant responsibilities page lists the things you are expected to look after, including:
- doors inside your home (unless it is a fire door)
- letterboxes
- internal decoration
- toilet seats
- bathroom and kitchen cabinets
- shaver lights
- electric showers (unless fitted as an adaptation)
- installing new appliances
- damage caused by you or your visitors, which the council can recharge you for
If you are not sure whose job a repair is, the council asks you to call the repairs line and check before doing anything.
Leaseholders: what the council repairs
For leaseholders, the council repairs the structure, the exterior and the communal parts of the building, and the cost comes back through your service charge. Repairs inside your flat are generally yours.
Leaks are the grey area. The council asks leaseholders to report any leak to the repairs line so a contractor can inspect it, but if the leak turns out to be your responsibility, the council says it will recharge you for the work. Check your lease and the council’s leaseholder handbook before agreeing to a repair you may be billed for.
When a repair is late: complaining
Start by calling the repairs line with your job number and asking for a new date. If that does not work, make a formal complaint through the council’s online housing complaints form.
- Stage 1: the council acknowledges and logs the complaint within 5 working days and aims to reply within 10 working days of that acknowledgement.
- Stage 2: if you are not satisfied, ask for a stage 2 review within three months of the stage 1 reply by emailing housingresponses@westminster.gov.uk. The council acknowledges within 5 working days and aims to reply within 20 working days.
- Housing Ombudsman: once you have been through the council’s process, the Housing Ombudsman is a free, independent service that can make a final decision. You can also contact it for advice during the complaint.
The council’s housing complaints page currently warns that response times may be outside its published timescales while it resolves its technical issues. Note the date you complained, and if a deadline passes without a reply, ask for an expected response date in writing.
If you live in an area run by a Tenant Management Organisation, the TMO answers stage 1 complaints about its own services, but stage 2 always goes to the council.
If you are waiting for a council home rather than living in one, our page on the Westminster housing register explains the bands and how long the wait really is. For the other bill that comes with a council flat, see Westminster council tax bands.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Westminster council repairs number? 0800 358 3783, 24 hours a day, for council tenants and leaseholders. For damp, mould and condensation advice, the council’s service is on 0800 358 3785.
Can I report a Westminster council repair online? Not at the moment. The council says its MyWestminsterHousing portal cannot take repair reports because of ongoing technical issues, so report repairs by phone. Damp and mould can also be reported on the council’s online form.
How long does Westminster Council have to fix an emergency repair? The council aims to attend within two hours and make the home safe within 24 hours. It may return another day to finish the full repair.
How long should a routine council repair take in Westminster? Up to 28 working days for non-urgent repairs, and up to 7 working days for urgent ones.
What does Awaab’s Law mean for Westminster tenants? The council must investigate significant damp and mould within 10 working days, send you a written summary within 3 working days of that, and carry out the safety work within 5 working days. Emergency hazards must be dealt with within 24 hours.
Who repairs leaks in a Westminster leasehold flat? Report it to the council’s repairs line first so a contractor can inspect. If the cause turns out to be your responsibility under the lease, the council will recharge you for the work.
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