Are you a tenant living in poor conditions?
If your rented property falls below a reasonable living standard, you may be able to make a claim.
Check if you qualify for free today
What is housing disrepair?
Housing disrepair typically means a rented home or any other type of rented accommodation that is in need of repairs in order for it to qualify as safe and suitable for renters to live.
If you are renting a property that requires repair, you could seek compensation for the inconvenience, discomfort, and suffering. After all, landlords are required by law to ensure that the property they rent out to tenants is structurally in a good state of repair, these requirements include:
- The property meets necessary fire safety regulations
- Keep in repair and maintain gas, electricity, water, and sanitation installations
- Handle mould and damp problems
- Keep in repair the roof and plasterwork
- Maintain the structure and exterior of rental property, including external pipes and drains
- Provide efficient security
- Fix defective central heating and wiring
Am I Eligible to Claim?
Eligibility to make a housing disrepair claim depends on your individual situation. We have a set criteria you need to be eligible for a claim. These can include:
- Whether you live in a house or a flat
- Whether you rent your home through social housing or privately
- The length of time the property has been in a state of disrepair
- The impact of the disrepair on your home and the daily lives of those living there
- The seriousness of the disrepair
- How many times you have reported the repairs needed to your housing association or council landlord
- The steps your landlord has or has not taken to repair your property
If you do not have any of the above we are unable to help
Your landlord is responsible for:
Faulty Heating
Leaking Roof
Damp & Mould
Vegetation Growth
Unsafe Flooring & Stairs
Vermin
Plumbing & Drainage
Rotting Windows
Damaged/Worn Brickwork
Other Damages
Is your property full of damp? Perhaps there’s unsafe flooring or faulty electrics. You could be eligible to make a claim to help get the repairs done and potentially get some compensation too.
Housing Disrepair Frequently Asked Questions
Legally, as a Housing Association or Council House tenant your landlord CANNOT EVICT YOU for beginning a claim against them. However, the only exception is if you are in arrears and do not have a payment plan in place. If that is the case, even a payment plan of £1 a month is sufficient protection.
For private renters the law is different and a landlord can serve a Section 21 eviction notice which allows landlords to evict tenants without reasons. There are campaigns to end this and this is something we will assess and advise you on a case by case basis. Even if your landlord does attempt to evict you, we can still assist you with this.
The amount of compensation you will receive varies depending on the severity of the disrepair and the length of time since the disrepair was initially reported. Other major factors that can affect your compensation amount are whether you suffered any personal injury, health issues or whether you needed to move out of the property due to its disrepair and it being unfit for habitation.
In our experience in dealing with housing disrepair claims, our previous clients have received compensation varying from £1,000 to £20,000.
Yes, you must pay your full rent. If you stop paying your rent, then it will give the Landlord the ability to make a counterclaim against you for a breach of your Tenancy Agreement, also it may give your landlord reason to evict you.
Unfortunately, you are unable to claim. In order to be able to make a claim, you must be living in the property.
Disrepair Claim is a trading name of Consumer Reclaim Ltd. Consumer Reclaim Ltd is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in respect of regulated claims management activities, reference number: 835212. Registration is recorded at: https://register.fca.org.uk. Consumer Reclaim Ltd is registered in England and Wales, Company Registration number: 07223077. Information Commissioner Office number: ZA176000. We will not charge you a fee for our service. We are paid a referral fee by our partners on our Legal Panel for eligible referrals.
Consumer Reclaim Ltd is a Claims Management Company (CMC). You can claim for free, without using a CMC, first directly to your landlord or to the Housing Ombudsman Service (England)/Public Services Ombudsman (Wales).