Find a regulated housing disrepair solicitor near you

You may have a claim if you rent your home, you reported a repair problem to your landlord, and they failed to put it right within a reasonable time. Landlords must keep the structure, exterior and key installations in repair under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and keep the home fit to live in under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. A regulated solicitor will tell you honestly whether your situation qualifies.

Most housing-disrepair claims are run under a Conditional Fee Agreement — a 'no win, no fee' arrangement — usually with After the Event insurance covering the other side's costs if the claim fails. In suitable cases that means nothing to pay up front and nothing to pay if the claim doesn't succeed. Your solicitor will explain the funding in plain terms before anything starts.

Yes. Councils and housing associations have the same legal duty as private landlords to keep your home in repair under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. A large share of disrepair claims are against social landlords — being a council or housing-association tenant doesn't stop you claiming, and GOV.UK explains how to request council repairs.

Time limits come from the Limitation Act 1980. You generally have up to six years for the disrepair itself and three years for any personal injury or ill health caused by it. The sooner you get advice the better, while the evidence is fresh — so it's worth checking now.

Usually not. The large majority of disrepair claims settle without a court hearing once the claim is properly evidenced and put to the landlord under the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims. If a case does need a hearing, your solicitor handles it for you.

You can typically claim a reduction of the rent you paid while living with the disrepair, the cost of any belongings ruined by damp, mould or leaks, and an amount for the inconvenience, distress and any health impact — plus an order that the repairs are done. How much depends on how serious the disrepair was and how long it lasted, so amounts are assessed on the facts.

Evicting a tenant for asking for repairs or making a disrepair claim is 'retaliatory eviction', and section 33 of the Deregulation Act 2015 restricts a landlord's ability to use a section 21 notice after a genuine complaint about conditions. Don't let the threat put you off getting advice — a regulated solicitor can tell you exactly where you stand.