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Housing disrepair: legal insights in plain English
Short explainers on the rules that matter to tenants. This is general information, not legal advice for your situation.
- Your landlord's repair duties
- Awaab's Law in plain English
- What happens before court
Last reviewed: [date]. A solicitor must check this page before publication.
What is a housing disrepair claim?
It is a legal claim against a landlord who has not carried out repairs they are responsible for. A successful claim can lead to the repairs being done and to compensation for the time you lived with the problem.
Your landlord's repair duties
Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, your landlord must keep the structure and exterior of your home in repair, along with the installations for water, gas, electricity, sanitation, heating and hot water. The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 also requires homes in England to be fit to live in. Your landlord normally needs to know about a problem before the duty to fix it applies, so report it in writing.
Awaab's Law in plain English
Awaab's Law is named after Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 after long exposure to mould in his family's home. It sets deadlines for social landlords in England to investigate and fix certain hazards, starting with damp and mould and emergency hazards, and it is being extended to more hazards over time. The exact timescales depend on the type of hazard, so check the current rules or ask us.
What happens before court?
Before a claim reaches court, a set process asks both sides to set out their position. You usually write to the landlord describing the problem, the landlord responds, and an inspection may follow. This is based on the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims in England, and it encourages settlement without a hearing.
Can my landlord evict me for complaining?
Your landlord should not punish you for raising repairs or making a claim. Protections exist, but they depend on your type of tenancy and recent changes to the law, so do not assume. If you are worried, speak to us before you do anything.
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Check my claimHow our fees work
Disrepair Claims Hub is a trading style of Equitas Solicitors Ltd. Our own solicitors handle every claim from start to finish, and we explain our fees in writing before you sign anything. Read the full guide to our fees.
- Upfront: you pay nothing to start.
- If your claim succeeds: your landlord usually pays most of our costs. If it does not pay all of them, a success fee may apply, capped at 25% of your damages. The insurance premium, a flat £425 plus Insurance Premium Tax (£476.00 in total at the current 12% rate), is payable only if you win and comes out of your compensation. VAT [applies / does not apply] to our fees.
- If it does not succeed: you do not pay our charges, provided you have kept to your agreement with us. Your insurance is designed to cover the other side's costs and the expenses it insures. Cover can be lost in some situations, and in a few you may have to pay our charges. These are explained in the full guide.
- What's included: [list the stages covered], usually taking [X to Y months].
- Cooling-off: you have 14 days to cancel after signing without charge. If you cancel, your insurance ends too.
Complaints
We want to put things right. If you're unhappy, tell us at Enquiries@disrepairclaimshub.co.uk, on [phone] or in writing to [address]. We'll acknowledge your complaint within [X] working days and aim to reply within [Y] weeks. [Insert the steps of your procedure.]
If we can't resolve it, you can complain to the Legal Ombudsman, normally within six months of our final written response. [COLP to confirm current time limits.] You can also report concerns about our conduct to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Privacy notice
Equitas Solicitors Ltd is the data controller. We use the details you give us to assess your enquiry, contact you and, if you instruct us, handle your claim. Our lawful bases are [list them]. We share data only with [service providers, insurers, experts, courts] and keep it for [retention period]. If you upload photos or videos, we use them only to assess your claim, and they may contain location data.
You can ask to see, correct or delete your data, restrict or object to its use, or ask for a copy. Contact Enquiries@disrepairclaimshub.co.uk. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office. We only send news and offers if you tick the optional box, and you can opt out at any time. [Replace with your full UK GDPR privacy notice.]
Who we are
Disrepair Claims Hub is a trading style of Equitas Solicitors Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, SRA number 459787. Company number 5871121. Registered office: Muirfields Buildings, 5 Fairways Office Park, Pittman Way, Fulwood, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 9LF.