Disrepair in Council Housing

Legally reviewed by: Allaya Hussain Updated: March 30, 2022

Claiming Compensation for Disrepair in Council Housing

If you’re a council tenant, you have a right to a good standard of living – no matter who you live with, what age you are, or what your background is. If you’re not being given that, our solicitors can help you take action and get compensated for the suffering you have had to endure at the hands of your local council.

Our housing disrepair experts can help council tenants claim for necessary repairs to be made to their homes if their council has failed to do so. In addition to claiming for repairs, we can also help you claim for compensation if you have suffered from injury, illness or financial setbacks as a result of the disrepair in your home.

Disrepair most often presents itself as extreme cases of mould and damp in homes, cracks in walls, broken and/or unsafe doors and windows, water damage or lack of hot water and/or central heating. Most structural defects to your home will be seen as disrepair and when the damage is becoming severe and your local council is failing to act it’s time to seek legal advice.

Your Landlord’s Legal Responsibilities

Being able to rely on the council to make repairs to and maintain safety standards in your property is an important part of your tenancy agreement.

It is their legal duty to make sure that the required property standards are upheld.

When there are repairs that need to be done, you should be able to contact your landlord easily, and they should fix the issues quickly.

This is part of their legal responsibility to you.

Your Rights as a Council Tenant

From the moment you and your landlord sign the council housing tenancy agreement, you both commit to maintaining a certain standard for the property.

This also means that when problems arise, you are protected by the contract. Your landlord must make any repairs necessary to meet the agreed council housing standards.

As a council housing tenant you have a right to:

• A structurally sound building which is safe and well-maintained
• Well-functioning drains, sinks, baths and toilets
• Unobstructed gutters
• Access to water, electricity, and gas – including an adequate heating system
• A damp and mould-free house
• A property free from pests

If your landlord denies you the right to any of the above by not carrying out repairs, we can help you. Problems with these are what we see most commonly when people make a disrepair in council housing claim. Speak to one of our housing disrepair solicitors to find out if you have a claim.

When Council Landlords Fail to Make Necessary Repairs

If your council house is left in disrepair, it can be a frustrating and upsetting time. It can also lead to serious health consequences for you and your loved ones, especially if you live with vulnerable people such as children or elderly residents.

Nobody should have to live in a council house with long-term disrepair. Unfortunately, many people do.

If you have suffered because of disrepair in your council house, we are here to help.

It’s important that you know your council tenant rights, and whether you can make a claim. We are experts in cases involving disrepair in council housing and can quickly advise you on what you should do.

Our solicitors and housing disrepair specialists will be by your side all the way through any claim you choose to make. We’ll make sure you get the compensation you deserve.

What Compensation for Housing Disrepair Covers

There are all sorts of problems which can be claimed for under disrepair if your council housing landlord has been ignoring them.

In some cases, it may be something annoying and disruptive like having no hot water. In other cases your health and safety may seriously be at risk, for example if there is damp damage or a broken staircase in your property.

The amount of compensation you receive will take all these factors into account. It’s calculated by looking at:

• The type and amount of damage to the property
• Cost of repairs
• Cost of secondary accommodation, if you have had to temporary move out
• Inconvenience caused
• Additional costs resulting from disrepair
• Injury or illness of the tenants resulting from disrepair

Our dedicated solicitors will do everything they can to make sure you get the compensation that you are entitled to, and that all the repairs you need are made to your council house.

How to Claim Compensation

If your council housing landlord has neglected their responsibilities, we can help you get the situation back under control. Everyone deserves to feel respected, safe, and secure in their own home and our experienced council housing solicitors will talk you through the whole legal process. We’ll keep things clear and simple so that you don’t have to deal with any extra stress.

Our Promise to You

We make sure that each one of our clients knows that they matter and promise to do everything in our power to get the compensation you’re due.

We want to help you get your life back on track after being forced to live in a state of disrepair. Our team will work their hardest to make sure you’re compensated for your suffering and all repairs are carried out quickly.

We’ve turned lots of council housing horrors stories into compensation success stories. To find out if you can make a disrepair in council housing claim, and how we can help, get in touch today.