What Should You Do If Your Rental Property Is In Disrepair?

 Housing Disrepair Claims

Housing disrepair claims are made when a tenant is forced to live in a rental property that falls below acceptable living standards. Every tenant is entitled to live in a home in good state of repair and so when the landlord is negligent to his duty and fails to keep the house in ideal living conditions causing the tenant to suffer health issues, financial losses or damage to belongings, a claim for disrepair can be made for a deserved compensation.

To do this, a tenant has to meet expert housing disrepair claim solicitors to discuss his claims and see if he has enough grounds to make claims and if there are, disrepair claims can be made.

Common Disrepair Issues That Could Lead To Disrepair Claims

  • Mould and Damp

  • Leaks

  • Flooding and drainage issues including sewage problems

  • Rodent, vermin and insect Infestation

  • Structural Cracks

  • Condensation

  • Poor ventilation

  • Space and water heating system issues

  • Faulty electrical system 

  • Other health risks including fire hazards

The Landlord and Tenant Act 1980 stipulates various responsibilities of the landlord to his tenants which include;

  • Making sure that the structure and exterior of the rental property are in good repair

  • Ensuring that the installations for the supply of water, gas and electricity are in good working order

  • Ensuring there are adequate equipment for proper sanitation within the property

  • Keeping in good working order facilities for space and water heating

  • Ensuring that gas appliances are well maintained, all fire regulations are met and provide the tenants with energy performance certificate and proof of electrical inspections.


Tenants can therefore take legal actions against their landlords if they fail to carry out the required repairs within a reasonable time after being informed.

The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 stipulates that any disrepair which constitutes serious health and safety risk for the tenant should be addressed within two weeks.

This is what you should do if your rental property is in disrepair;

  • Reach out to your landlord either by email or verbally and talk about the disrepair issues you are facing. Give him two weeks to respond to your complaints. Within this period, the landlord is supposed to schedule a day to carry out an inspection of your home and then inform you of when the repairs will be carried out.

  • If after two weeks there is no feedback from your landlord, you can write a formal letter to your landlord and if possible, include pictures of your home in disrepair to show the severity of the problem.

  • Proceed with your complaints to your local authority if your landlord continues to be negligent. Your local authority should be able to come into the matter and see that your landlord does the needful.

  • If these efforts are not yielding positive results, then reach out to your housing disrepair solicitors to discuss legal actions you can take against your landlord.

Documents such as these will help in your disrepair claims;

  • Copy of your tenancy agreement

  • Copies of correspondence between you and your landlord.

  • Images showing severity of the disrepair 

  • Medical report if you have suffered a health issue or personal injury as a result of the disrepair including hospital bills incurred.

  • Other financial losses incurred

In the course of the disrepair claims process, we may require an independent surveyor to make an assessment of the state of your home and give a report which will be useful in determining your final compensation amount.


The following are things You Can Claim For when you make your disrepair claims;

  • Personal injury suffered

  • Damage to belongings

  • Financial losses

  • Inconveniences


Housing Disrepair Solicitors

If you have a claim for disrepair, we encourage you to reach out to our best housing disrepair solicitors in London via our housing disrepair helpline for a no obligation chat and a free consultation session to discuss your claims.

Our records over the years in securing justice and deserving compensation amounts for our clients who have made housing disrepair claims with us speaks for itself.

We encourage not to hesitate but make use of our no win no fee housing disrepair policy which frees you of any financial risks whatsoever to make your housing disrepair claims.

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