Housing Disrepair

What is housing disrepair?

If you are renting a property from a council or housing association, and the house (or flat) needs repairs for it to be considered safe and appropriate to live in, then this is considered housing disrepair.

Disrepair can involve different issues with the property including:
 
Leaks - if there is water leakage in the property then this could be classed as housing disrepair. It could be a significant leak or a small but persistent leak coming into the property caused by issues with things like guttering, roofing or pipework. Water leaks can cause significant damage - especially over time - including to plasterboard and furnishings, and cause damage such as rotting and instability in the structure. If left unrepaired, further damage could be cause with issues such as damp and mould, which both represent risks to heath, especially if there is exposure over an extended period of time.

Mould and damp - as mentioned above, but this could also be caused by other issues such as poor ventilation - including not having or working extractor fans or windows located close to or in rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens - or excessive condensation (with other factors can contribute to this).

Structural - if you have experienced damage to your ceiling, interior/exterior walls, flooring or window/door frames, these can all be classed as structural damage. It could be cracks appearing in these that affect their strength, which ultimately could affect their integrity and ability to stay intact (and support other structures / features as appropriate). These can be caused by various things but as long as the issue has been reported, your council or housing associate has an obligation to review your cause for complaint, and attempt to remedy within a reasonable time frame if indeed is a relevant and valid issue.

Can I claim for Housing Disrepair?

If you have been renting from a council or housing association for at least 12 months, have reported the issue (which began within the last five and a half years), then you could be eligible to make a housing disrepair claim.

You may have also experienced health issues as a result of the housing disrepair, but this is not essential for you to make a claim. Answer some quick questions in our form and see if you are eligible to claim thousands in compensation.

How can First4Lawyers help?

First4Lawyers are a claims management company that can help you if you think you may have a claim for housing disrepair. Simply complete our housing disrepair checker here and we will then get one of our specialist HDR solicitors to get in touch with you to talk about your claim in more detail.

There is no charge for using our services but if your claim is successful then you will typically pay the solicitor you are using 25% + VAT of any amount recovered by them. We receive a £70 introductory fee from the solicitors for introducing you to them but this doesn’t affect any compensation you may receive and will never be paid by you. When making a claim for housing disrepair you do no have to use a claims management company, you may be able to submit your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman for free.