Housing disrepair claims
What is a disrepair?
A disrepair is a state of damage, deterioration, or neglect that makes a property unusable or unsafe for habitation.
Making a claim
As a tenant you have a right to seek independent legal advice over disrepair and make a claim for damages against the Council. However, these claims are not always successful and in the past 12 months all disrepair claims made against the Council have been unsuccessful in court.
A successful claim
When a claim is successful, legal firms take a huge amount of any damages, leaving tenants with a small percentage of the money awarded.
An unsuccessful claim
When a claim is unsuccessful, tenants are left with huge legal debts. They may have to pay the Council’s legal costs, fees for any surveys of the property and premium for insurance policies and have the stress of going to court for nothing.
If you do not proceed with court action, you may still be liable to pay fees to a legal firm.
Housing disrepair claims farmers
Housing disrepair claims farmers are going door to door targeting unsuspecting tenants. They promise compensation to tenants and encourage them to make compensation claims and then sell the information onto a legal firm for their own financial gain.
Housing disrepair farmers often make you believe that they are Council staff, but they are not.
If they come to your home:
- ask for identification
- call the police if you feel scared or threatened
- call us before you sign any documents
Making a claim against the council
The legal process requires tenants to speak to their landlord first, before attempting to make any claim. Before you take any costly legal action, please talk to us.
We typically fix repairs and maintenance reports swiftly after a property visit, saving you time and money.
Nobody wins when the money meant for the maintenance of homes across the borough is paid out in legal costs to disrepair claims farmers and big legal firms.
It leaves less money for repairs and improvements.
You can report a repair online here.