Housing Disrepair Compensation: What Tenants Should Know
Housing Repair Help Editorial Team · Reclaim Experts Ltd is a Claims Management Company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference number 1030701. You do not have to use a claims management company to pursue a complaint or explore your legal options. You can report repair problems directly to your landlord. If you have an unresolved housing complaint, eligible tenants can also use the Housing Ombudsman Service free of charge: https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/residents/.
When a landlord fails to maintain a rented property, tenants may face damaged belongings, increased energy bills, and serious health issues. In many situations, tenants may be able to seek compensation through a housing disrepair claim.
This guide explains the different types of compensation, the factors that affect how cases are assessed, and the evidence tenants typically need.
What Is Housing Disrepair Compensation?
Compensation is a financial award when a landlord has failed to carry out necessary repairs. It recognises the inconvenience, losses, and health impacts. Compensation is separate from getting repairs done — tenants may receive both.
Types of Compensation
General Damages
For inconvenience, discomfort, and loss of enjoyment. Often calculated as a percentage of rent paid during the disrepair period.
Special Damages
Specific financial losses: replacement belongings, increased energy bills, cleaning costs, alternative accommodation.
Health Damages
For respiratory conditions, injuries from unsafe structures, or mental health effects. Medical evidence is usually required.
What Factors Affect Compensation?
Severity
More serious problems like structural damage result in higher compensation
Duration
The longer the disrepair has persisted after notification, the greater the potential
Impact on Tenant
Cases affecting health or daily life attract higher awards
Number of Issues
Properties with multiple problems may result in higher overall compensation
Vulnerable Occupants
Children, elderly, or people with health conditions are a factor
Landlord's Response
Doing nothing or inadequate repair attempts strengthens the case
Who is Housing Repair Help?
The facts about who we are, how we work and what you pay, set out plainly.
Who operates the service
Housing Repair Help is a trading style of Reclaim Experts Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 16058317) with its registered office at Innovation Centre, 49 Oxford Street, Leicester, LE1 5XY.
FCA status
Reclaim Experts Ltd is a Claims Management Company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference number 1030701. You can check its entry on the FCA Register. It is also registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (registration number ZB869483).
What our role is
We provide free, plain-English information about housing disrepair, run a free eligibility check based on the details and evidence you provide, and help organise photos, reports and correspondence into a clear case file. Housing Repair Help is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or legal representation.
What happens after you submit an enquiry
Every enquiry is reviewed against the same criteria before it is passed on: whether the disrepair falls within the landlord's repairing obligations, whether the landlord was told about the problem and given a reasonable chance to fix it, the severity of the problem, the quality of the evidence, and how long it has continued. If your case is not suitable we tell you and point you to free routes such as the Housing Ombudsman Service, Citizens Advice and Shelter.
Our relationship with the solicitor
Suitable cases are introduced to specialist housing disrepair solicitors on our panel. Those firms are independent of us and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. They decide whether to take a case on, and any legal advice comes from them once they have been formally instructed and a client care agreement is in place.
How referrals work
When a case is suitable, we pass it to a specialist housing disrepair solicitor on our panel. Reclaim Experts Ltd receives a fee from the solicitor for any successful recommendation. You are never charged for the introduction.
What you pay
You pay nothing to Housing Repair Help. We do not charge tenants a fee for our eligibility check or our introduction service.
What "No Win No Fee" means
The solicitors on our panel may offer to run your claim under a No Win No Fee agreement. Under such an agreement, the solicitor's fee is only payable if your claim succeeds, and is then usually recovered from your compensation. If your claim does not succeed, you do not pay the solicitor a fee for their time. The solicitor will explain the full terms before you sign anything, and you are free to choose a solicitor of your own instead.
Think you may be able to claim compensation?
If your landlord has ignored repair issues in your home, you can submit your details to see whether your situation may qualify for further review.
Start Your ClaimFCA Regulated Claims Management Company FRN: 1030701
No obligation.
Not ready to start your claim?
How Specialists Assess Cases
Nature and Extent of the Disrepair
Whether the Landlord Was Notified
The Impact on the Tenant
Evidence Available
Documenting Your Losses
Taking the time to document your losses can make a significant difference:
Photograph everything — Take regular dated photos showing the condition and damage to belongings
Keep all receipts — For replacement items, cleaning products, temporary heating
Record health impacts — Visit your GP and ensure symptoms are documented
Save all correspondence — Every email, letter, or message about repair issues
Note the dates — Keep a diary noting when problems started and when you reported them
Repairs and Compensation Together
Seeking compensation does not prevent you from also requiring repairs. Most cases seek both: that the landlord carries out repairs and that the tenant receives compensation for the period they were living with the disrepair. Even if repairs are done before a case resolves, you may still claim for the time you spent living with the problem.
Council Tenants and Compensation
Tenants renting from local councils or housing associations have the same rights as private tenants. If your council property has disrepair issues that have not been addressed, you may be able to seek compensation in the same way.
Further Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
This article provides general information about housing issues in England and Wales and does not constitute legal advice. Legal services may be provided by independent solicitors where appropriate.