A housing associations responsibility to its tenants

Are you a social housing tenant? Have you reported any property repairs which are still outstanding? 

It may surprise you to know, that social housing landlords have to follow certain rules on repairs and maintenance laid down by the Regulator of Social Housing, failure to meet these standards could result in the tenant being awarded a successful compensation claim against their social housing landlord.

To respond to a tenant’s needs, social housing landlords must have in place a repairs and maintenance service agreement and aim to get the work done right first time to an agreed timescale.

Thanks to the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act which came into force in March 2019, it is the responsibility of all social housing landlords to ensure that their properties are kept in a habitable manner and that their tenants are safe from anything that could cause them serious harm.

What if your housing association fail to carry out the repairs? 

If your social housing association are failing to carry out agreed repairs and maintain your property to an acceptable standard, then our experienced team of solicitors at Paul Crowley & Co will resolve the issue on your behalf by contacting your housing association directly to ensure that the repairs are carried out.

FREE expert legal advice…

If you would like to speak directly with one of our housing disrepair team, for initial FREE expert legal advice please call us on 0151 264 7363 and a member of the team will be happy to assist.

Housing disrepair compensation

Unsuitable social housing can create many health risks for tenants, from damage to your property caused by leaking water to the threat of illness, harm and even death from electrocution, gas, or fire. 

If you have reported an essential property repair to your social housing landlord and they are failing to carry out the repair, then contact Paul Crowley & Co on 0151 264 7363 and ask about our expert No Win, No Fee legal representation on making a successful housing disrepair compensation claim.

No Win No Fee

No Win No Fee is a conditional fee agreement which means Paul Crowley & Co will fund your claim so you will not have to worry about paying any upfront legal costs.

‘We appreciate making a claim against your housing association can feel very intimidating, our specialised team make it easy for you by dealing directly with your housing association, we will act on your behalf on a no win no fee agreement and ensure you receive the best possible outcome.’ 

Paul Crowley | Senior Partner
Paul Crowley & Co.

Am I entitled to a Social Housing compensation claim?

Previously all investigation of complaints for social housing property repairs would have to go through the local authority for investigation, but now the responsibility is on the landlords to make sure properties are fit to prescribed standards at the start and during your tenancy.

If your home is rented from either a Local Council or Housing Association and they have failed to carry out a repair that you have reported within a reasonable period of time then you could be entitled to a compensation claim.

Please call our Social Housing Disrepair Claims team at Paul Crowley and Co on 0151 264 7363 and will be able to advise if you are entitled to a compensation claim.

What is Disrepair

Landlords are required by law to:

i)  Keep in repair the structure and exterior of the property

ii) To keep in repair and proper working order the installations for the supply of water, gas and electricity and;

iii) To keep in repair and proper working order the installations for heating

If you have informed your landlord of any of the following repairs, and despite your complaints the works remain outstanding you may be eligible for a housing disrepair compensation claim through Paul Crowley & Co. 

  • 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

What can compensation be claimed for?

You can claim for your property which has been damaged due to the poor conditions or the subsequent repairs.


Conditions which need repair may have resulted in increased spending on short term fixes such as the costs of increased electricity usage.

Problems with your housing can have a direct effect on your life whether it is the disruption caused day-by-day, not having full use of your home, or the time spent waiting for the arrival of the workers who will fix your home.

Your physical and mental health can suffer as a result of damage to your home.

Timeframe for repair

As defined in your social housing tenancy agreement, your landlord is legally entitled to a reasonable amount of time in order to fix the repair.

It is important to inform your housing association and keep a record preferably in writing or via email as soon as you become aware of the problem, as the law then protects the tenant and the clock is then ticking in your favour from the date the repair is reported.

The length of a reasonable amount of time can depend on:

How bad the problem is

How badly it is affecting your health

How easy it is to fix

How much effort the landlord has made to fix the problem

Has your housing association failed to fix your property within the agreed time, if so contact Paul Crowley & Co to discuss a No Win No Fee compensation claim.

Paul Crowley & Co are here to help

If you have a housing disrepair dispute with your housing association and require expert legal advice, then Paul Crowley & Co solicitors would like to hear from you. You can contact us on 0151 264 7363

WHAT TO DO NEXT…

For a free no obligation chat with one of our social housing disrepair claims solicitors call us now on 0151 264 7363 or email us.

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