WERA secures heating refunds for all

Estate Management

Updated: 19/11/2013

The WERA Committee has successfully lobbied the TMO to ensure that all residents, both tenants and leaseholders, received a full refund of heating charges paid previously following a long period of overcharging by the TMO's gas supplier.

Earlier this year the TMO determined that their gas supplier had overcharged the estate for the gas used by the communal heating and hot water system. The TMO secured a refund from the supplier of £203,521.41.

The estate's leaseholders were credited with a refund in September, when the service charge final accounts for 2011/12 were issued by the Council/TMO. Tenants did not however receive a refund at the time and there was some doubt that they would.

WERA lobbied the TMO throughout October and much of November to ensure that tenants also received the appropriate refund. The TMO eventually passed on the refund to tenants in mid-November when all tenants were written to with the good news.

The size of the refund is determined by the size of the property - a tenant living in a 2-bed flat would receive refund of £266.74; exactly the same as the leaseholder of a 2-bed flat.

The WERA Committee works hard for the benefit of all residents, both tenants and leaseholders, and considers this a good result as all residents will have received the appropriate refund before the end of the month and in advance of the Christmas holidays.