Could you claim against your landlord?

You may well have a disrepair claim.

From what you've told us, your landlord has been made aware of the problems and has had a reasonable time to put them right. Most residential landlords must keep the structure of the property and its heating, water and sanitation in repair (section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985), and rented homes in England must also be fit for human habitation.

Where a landlord still won't act, a claim can ask the court to order the repairs to be carried out — and can include compensation reflecting how long you've lived with the problem. Every case turns on its own facts, so the next step is a free, no-obligation chat with one of our housing solicitors, who will give you an honest view of where you stand.

You're not far off — here's what to do.

A landlord generally only becomes liable once they've been told about the problem and given a reasonable time to fix it. So the single most useful thing you can do is report the problem in writing today — an email or text is fine. If you'd like, we can help you put that letter together.

Keep dated photographs of the damage, copies of every message, and receipts for anything ruined. If nothing happens within a reasonable time, you may well have a claim — and talking to us now means everything is ready if it comes to that.

Disrepair claims are for tenants — but we can still help.

Housing disrepair claims are brought by tenants against their landlords, so this particular route isn't open to you as a homeowner. But problems with your property — disputes with builders, issues with neighbours, or questions about your lease — are exactly what our property team deals with every day.

Get in touch and tell us what's going on, and we'll point you to the right person.

For a private-landlord problem, we're not the right firm — but here's who is.

We only take housing disrepair claims for tenants of councils and housing associations. That focus is deliberate — it's how we keep our housing team specialist in this one area — but it does mean we're not able to act on a claim against a private landlord or letting agent.

You still have rights. For disrepair in a privately rented home, free specialist help is available from Shelter and Citizens Advice, and your local council's environmental health team can inspect serious hazards.

If you actually rent from a council or housing association, or you're not sure who your landlord is, do get in touch below and we'll happily take a look.