Housing Disrepair Claims
If you currently rent from a council or housing association and they’re letting your home fall into disrepair, we can help. Call us on 01925 351 350 to make a housing disrepair claim to get repairs done and get compensation – all on a no win no fee basis.
What Is Housing Disrepair?
As a tenant renting your home, the law provides you with certain rights for what you should be able to expect from your landlord. So, your landlord has certain responsibilities to meet.
One of these responsibilities is to keep your home fit to live in.
Housing disrepair is when certain repairs are neglected by your landlord, even after they’ve had enough notice to fix them.
We can advise whether you can make a housing disrepair claim. If so, we can help you get your home repaired, and you should get compensation too.
Our clients typically get around £1,000 to £3,000 in compensation. But each case will be different and will depend on your particular circumstances. In some cases, you may be entitled to £10,000 or more.
You must still be living in the property and have notified your landlord of the disrepair in order to make a housing disrepair claim.
Find out how much you could claim using our claim value calculator.
What Problems are Covered by Housing Disrepair?
Housing disrepair encompasses a variety of issues. The most common disrepair issues we can get put right include:
- Damp problems
- Problems with the structure of the building
- Broken plumbing
- Problems with utilities
Unfortunately, we cannot help with everything, such as condensation damp, worn out carpets or floors, or any improvements you might wish for. However, you may still be able to claim for these if they were damaged due to a failure by the landlord to repair something else that IS covered.
Our housing disrepair solicitors can help you determine exactly what you can and can’t claim for.
What Can You Do About Housing Disrepair?
So, if your home has been left in disrepair, what should you do?
Notify Your Landlord
If you haven’t already, you should contact your landlord to notify them about the problem. It’s best to do this in writing, such as by email, and to keep a copy.
You can’t make a disrepair claim unless you have put your landlord on notice, and you may have to prove that notice was given. A written, dated complaint which you can keep for later, is always best.
Give Your Landlord A Chance To Make Repairs
After that, you’ll need to give your landlord a reasonable amount of time to carry out the repairs.
What is reasonable will vary according to the type of repairs needed. For instance, failed heating in Winter or a failure in your clean water supply are very urgent problems which should be put right within a day or two. However, other less-urgent issues, such as damp or problems opening windows, should still be done in less than a month.
Contact A Solicitor
If your landlord still hasn’t done the repairs in a reasonable amount of time, please get in touch. We can talk you through exactly what kind of housing disrepair claim you could make. From there, we can handle all the negotiations with your landlord.
Please be aware that you must still be living in the property to make a disrepair claim.
Ultimately, we aim to settle your claim and get the repairs done, and get you the compensation you deserve.
Call us now on 01925 351 350 to start your claim for disrepair.
Speak to an Expert
Give us a call now to find out how we can help you.
Speak to our Experts and get Compensation
We understand that making a claim against your landlord can seem daunting. That’s why we’re here to take the stress out of the situation for you.
We can offer you:
- A specialist team of advisors and housing disrepair solicitors
- No win no fee service
- We will get you compensation
- Coverage for the whole of England & Wales
We’ve run hundreds of successful housing disrepair claims, so you can rest assured that your case is in good hands.
If you believe you have the basis of a claim for housing disrepair against your council or housing association, please get in touch today so we can help you get the compensation you are owed.
FAQs
How do you claim compensation from your landlord?
You can make a claim against your landlord for housing disrepair with help from a solicitor. An expert housing disrepair solicitor will be able to run an effective claim against your landlord to get the repairs your home needs done. And your solicitor can maximise the compensation you are awarded for living with the disrepair, typically on a no win no fee basis.
Call us on 01925 351 350 to speak to an expert now and get started with your own housing disrepair claim.
How much is a claim for housing disrepair worth?
How much compensation you can recover depends on how bad the disrepair is, how long you have had the disrepair issues for, and how much rent you pay. In most cases you can recover at least £1,000, and some of the more serious issues can be worth over £10,000. And, that’s on top of getting repairs done in the property.
How long does a housing disrepair claim take?
There is no fixed length of time for how long a disrepair claim will take. The length of the claim can range from a few months, to a few years in particularly complex cases. But, most claims are concluded in 6-18 months, depending on how cooperative the landlord and their solicitors are.
How long do landlords have to fix problems?
Once you’ve notified your landlords of disrepair in your property, you should allow them “reasonable time” to fix them.
What is considered reasonable will depend on the extent of the disrepair. For example, a broken boiler that leaves you with no hot water is much more urgent and should be fixed within a few days, but a damp patch might reasonably be fixed in a few weeks.
In most cases, we recommend allowing 6-8 weeks for your landlord to fix the issues, unless urgent.
Can you claim for damp problems?
Your landlord must keep the structure of your home in good repair, including making sure that the structure of the building is not rotten with damp. If your landlord is neglecting their responsibilities, you can probably make a claim.
However, this doesn’t include damp problems cause by a tenant, as is often the case with condensation damp.
Can You Make a Housing Disrepair Claim?
See if you’re eligible to claim up to £10,000 on a No Win No Fee basis.Your Rights As A Tenant
As a tenant, you are entitled to a certain standard of housing. If your landlord is keeping your home fit to live you, you may be able to claim for £1,000’s in compensation.
