Housing Disrepair Compensation Claims

What is Housing disrepair?

Housing disrepair is when a Social Housing property is in need of essential repairs and falls below the current minimum standard for habitation.

For a Housing Association property to be deemed fit and habitable, the housing association must comply with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

The HHSRS assesses 29 housing hazards and the effect that each may have on the health and safety of the occupants living in the property.

What does Housing Disrepair include?

Housing Disrepair includes:

• Damp or Mould on ceilings, walls or floors
• Water damage from leaking bathrooms, kitchens, roofs, doors, windows, radiators or pipework
• Defective roofing or gutters
• Rotten or defective windows
• Defective electrical wiring, sockets or other fixtures
• Defective heating and radiators
• Defective gas and pipework
• Dangerous stairs or bannisters
• Broken doors
• Damp and defective interior plasterwork
• Broken or leaking sinks, baths or showers
• Broken or blocked drain
• Defective pointing or brickwork
• Defective exterior finishes

Who is responsible for Social Housing disrepairs?

Housing Associations have a responsibility to their tenants to make sure their properties are fit for human habitation.

If your home is rented from a social housing landlord, your housing association are legally responsible to maintain the structure of its property to an acceptable standard.

Who are social housing landlords?

Social housing landlords include housing associations, housing trusts and housing co-operatives.

What if I have a social housing disrepair?

If your social housing property is suffering from any of the Housing Disrepair problems listed above, it is the responsibility of the tenant to report the repairs to the social housing landlord as soon as they become aware of them.

Check your tenancy agreement or tenant’s handbook for how to report a disrepair?

A social housing tenant does not have to worry that a housing association landlord may decide to evict them rather than carry out the repairs, social housing landlords are subject to more checks than a private landlord.

It is important to keep a record of all telephone calls, who you spoke to and when, also keep a record of all email or written correspondence and take photographs of the disrepair.

What if my social housing landlord refuses to repair the problem?