Housing Disrepair

Housing disrepairs can affect the exterior or interior of the property and can even include common areas such stairwells in apartment blocks.

Essentially, it is any defect that makes a property unfit or unsafe for a tenant to live in. It is more than just basic maintenance or cosmetic issues. For example, a broken door handle or small tea stain on a carpet will most probably not give rise to a housing disrepair claim.

The most common types of housing disrepair are:

• Mould and damp
• Pest infestation
• Asbestos in the property
• Damaged interiors such as wallpaper
• Damaged or worn brickwork
• Broken or rotten windows and doors
• Broken or faulty roof, guttering, downpipes and drains
• Leaking water or gas pipes
• Broken boiler/ central heating systems
• Faulty electrical wiring
• Unsafe flooring and staircases
• Faulty heaters, cookers or other electrical appliances, such as dishwashers, that the landlord agreed to provide
• Unsafe fixtures and fittings
• Structural and external defects
• Broken basins, sinks, baths and other sanitary fittings including pipes and drains
• Vegetation growth/build-up
• Anything else relating to the proper working order of water, gas, electricity, sanitation or heating.

Absolutely not! Living in poor housing conditions can negatively affect your health and that of your family. As a tenant, it is your right to live in a safe and well-maintained home.

For example, imagine that your rental property is damp, meaning mould grows on the walls. You might think you can put up with it and go about your daily life. But living in such conditions can be extremely bad for your health, especially in young and elderly people. It can cause respiratory illnesses and damage your belongings if the mould extends to your clothes, furniture and other possessions. A rental property that contains by damp and mould is unfit for human habitation and  most definitely constitute a housing disrepair.

Or what about a faulty boiler or central heating system? Again, you can technically live without hot water and heating, however, the laws in England and Wales state that all tenants must have access to heating and hot water. A rental property that does not provide these basic utilities is in breach of this legislation.

If your housing disrepair claim is successful:

• Your landlord will be forced to fix the issue by the court. A landlord who fails to comply with a court order could be fined or imprisoned; and
• You will be financially compensated for any damage to your health, your belongings and/or the inconvenience that has been caused. The amount of compensation owed will depend on the severity of the disrepair, how long you have had to live with it, and its effect on you as an individual. This is likely to run into hundreds or thousands of pounds.

1. Complete the form below
2. We will contact you to see if you qualify for a claim
3. Sit back and leave the rest to us

No. We work on a No Win No Fee basis. If for any reason we’re unsuccessful, you won’t pay a penny.