HOUSING DISREPAIR - CASE STUDY
When there is a hole in your kitchen wall big enough for rats to enter, you expect your landlord to act quickly. This client did too. She reported it immediately. Her landlord did nothing – and that was only the beginning of the disrepair she was left to live with.
At NJS Law, we helped her make a housing disrepair claim against her landlord. She won £27,000 in compensation, and the repairs that should have been completed months earlier were finally carried out. This article explains what happened, what the law says, and how you can find out whether your own situation gives you grounds to claim.
Every case is different. Your outcome will depend on your individual circumstances.
The disrepair in this client’s home was not a single issue – it was a catalogue of serious problems that had been left to worsen over time.
She reported every one of these problems to her landlord – not once, but again and again. Each time, she was ignored. She was left living in a home that was not safe, not healthy, and by any reasonable measure, not fit for human habitation.
Living like this takes a real toll – on your health, your mental wellbeing, and your ability to feel at home in your own space. What many tenants do not realise is that when a landlord refuses to act on reported disrepair, they are likely breaking the law.
Yes – and this is one of the most important things any tenant can understand about housing disrepair.
A landlord’s legal duty to repair only comes into play once they have been told about the problem. The moment you notify them – whether by text, email, letter or phone call – and they fail to act within a reasonable time, that failure becomes the foundation of a potential claim.
This is why keeping a record of every report you make is so important. Screenshots of text messages, copies of emails, notes of phone calls – this evidence builds the timeline that underpins a successful housing disrepair case.
If you have been reporting problems and being ignored, you may already have more of a claim than you realise.
Tenants in England and Wales are protected by several pieces of legislation that place clear, enforceable obligations on landlords. Here are the most important:
This is the cornerstone of tenant protection for disrepair. Section 11 places a legal duty on landlords to keep the structure and exterior of a rented property in good repair – including the roof, walls, floors, windows, drains, pipes, gutters and sanitary fittings. A landlord who fails to meet this duty after being notified of a problem is in breach of the law.
This act significantly strengthened the rights of tenants. It requires that all rented properties – whether private, housing association or council – must be fit for human habitation both at the start of a tenancy and throughout. Damp, mould, pest infestation, structural problems and unsafe sanitary facilities can all render a home “unfit” under this legislation, giving tenants the right to bring a claim in the county court.
The HHSRS is the Government’s framework for identifying and categorising hazards in residential properties. Local councils use it to assess and enforce housing standards. Hazards including damp, mould growth, pest infestation, structural collapse and falling are all assessed under this system. A property that carries a category 1 hazard under the HHSRS is one that councils can be required to take enforcement action on – giving tenants further legal leverage.
For a clear summary of your rights as a tenant regarding repairs, the Government’s official guidance is a useful starting point:
When this client came to us, the first step was evidence. We went through every record she had of reports made to her landlord – text messages, emails, notes from phone calls – to construct a clear timeline showing what had been raised, when, and what her landlord’s response had (or hadn’t) been.
We then arranged for an independent expert to inspect the property and produce a formal report on the conditions. Expert evidence is often central to a strong housing disrepair claim: it gives an objective, professional account of the extent of the disrepair, how long the problems had been present, and the impact they would have had on someone living there.
Armed with this evidence, we made a formal claim against the landlord. The case settled – for £27,000 in compensation – and the landlord was required to complete all of the outstanding repairs.
To understand how compensation is calculated in civil claims, including the difference between losses for pain and suffering versus financial losses, our guide on this topic is worth reading:
You may have a claim if:
You do not need to be living in a condemned property, and you do not need to have been taken to hospital. If the conditions are affecting your health, your mental wellbeing, or your ability to use parts of your home – and your landlord has been told and has failed to act – that is the starting point for a housing disrepair claim.
It is also worth knowing that there are time limits on making a claim, so it is better to get advice sooner rather than later. Our complete guide covers what counts as disrepair, how the claims process works, and what to expect:
The most important first step is to speak to someone who can tell you where you stand. At NJS Law, we offer a free initial conversation – no obligation, no cost. We will listen to your situation, ask a few straightforward questions, and give you an honest view on whether you have a claim worth pursuing.
If we take on your case, it is on a no win, no fee basis. That means if we do not win, you pay nothing.
Do not assume your situation is not serious enough. Do not assume there is nothing you can do. Get in touch and find out – it costs you nothing to ask.
Contact NJS Law today. The first conversation is free, and if we take your case, it is no win, no fee. Message us or call to speak to a member of our housing disrepair team.
Every case is different. The outcome of any legal claim depends on your individual circumstances. Details of the case described in this article have been changed to protect client confidentiality. This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. NJS Law is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
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