Council Ignoring Repairs? Your Rights and Next Steps in England and Wales
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/.
Published 19 September 2026. Last reviewed and updated 19 September 2026.
If your council ignoring repairs, you are not alone — delayed and ignored repairs are among the most common problems reported by tenants across England and Wales. This guide explains why repairs stall, what your council is legally required to do, how to escalate effectively, and when unactioned repairs may lead to a housing disrepair claim.
First Steps When Repairs Are Not Being Done
Report the Problem in Writing
Follow Up and Keep a Log
Re-Report if the Problem Gets Worse
Do Not Withhold Rent
Why Council Repairs Get Delayed or Ignored
Lost or Closed Reports
Repairs marked complete without work being done, or references closed after missed appointments
Contractor Failures
Jobs passed between contractors, repeated 'patch' repairs, or no-shows that never get re-booked
Backlogs and Triage
Non-urgent jobs pushed back repeatedly while emergencies are prioritised
Wrong Team, No Owner
Reports bounced between departments with nobody taking responsibility for the outcome
Cost Decisions
Proper repairs deferred in favour of cheaper temporary fixes that do not address the cause
Disputing Responsibility
The council blaming condensation, 'lifestyle' or tenant damage instead of investigating properly
Whatever the reason, the legal duty remains: once your council knows about a repair it is responsible for, it must carry it out within a reasonable time.
Your Council's Legal Repair Duties
Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires the landlord to keep the structure, exterior and key installations (heating, hot water, electrics, sanitation) in repair.
The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 requires the home to be fit to live in — serious damp, mould or hazards can make it unfit.
Awaab's Law requires social landlords to investigate and fix serious damp and mould hazards within strict timescales, with emergency hazards made safe within 24 hours.
The duty is triggered by notice — the landlord must be told about the problem. That is why reporting in writing matters.
How Long Should Repairs Take?
There is no single deadline for every repair, but the response must be reasonable given the severity. Most councils publish repair priorities similar to these:
| Problem | Priority | Expected response |
|---|---|---|
| No heating or hot water, severe leak, unsafe electrics | Emergency | Make safe within 24 hours |
| Serious damp and mould, partial loss of facilities | Urgent | Within 3–7 working days |
| Routine repairs that do not affect safety | Routine | Within 20–28 days |
| Major works (structural, roof renewal) | Planned | Survey, then a written plan and programme |
Read more about how long a landlord has to fix repairs.
Is your council ignoring your repairs?
If you have reported disrepair and your council has not acted within a reasonable time, check whether you may be able to claim repairs and compensation.
Start Your ClaimFCA Regulated Claims Management Company FRN: 1030701
No obligation.
Not ready to start your claim?
How to Escalate: Complaints and the Housing Ombudsman
Make a Stage 1 Complaint to Your Council
Request a Stage 2 Review
Contact the Housing Ombudsman
You can also ask your local council's environmental health team to inspect serious hazards, whether or not your landlord is a council. See our guide on reporting housing disrepair to the council.
Evidence to Keep While Repairs Are Outstanding
Dated Photos and Videos
Photograph the disrepair regularly so you can show how long it has lasted and whether it is worsening
Every Report and Reference
Keep emails, portal confirmations, repair references, letters and complaint responses
A Simple Chronology
Log dates of reports, calls, visits, missed appointments and promises in one place
Impact on Your Household
Note health effects, rooms that cannot be used and damaged belongings, with receipts where possible
Follow-Up Messages
Keep records showing you chased the repair and how the landlord responded
Medical Evidence
If conditions affect health, keep GP records or letters linking symptoms to the property
Tenants across England and Wales may be able to make a disrepair claim where a social landlord has been told about disrepair and failed to act within a reasonable time. Our panel of fully vetted no win, no fee housing disrepair solicitors specialise in this area.
When Ignored Repairs May Lead to a Claim
A claim may be possible when your council knew about disrepair it is responsible for, failed to repair within a reasonable time, and the delay caused a measurable effect. Depending on the evidence, this may include:
Loss of use or enjoyment of part of your home
Damage to furniture, clothing or other belongings
Inconvenience and distress caused by prolonged disrepair
Documented health effects linked to the conditions
Reasonable additional costs, such as higher heating bills or cleaning costs
Compensation is not automatic and outcomes vary. A solicitor must consider responsibility, notice, delay, causation and evidence before advising whether a claim has reasonable prospects.
Why Tenants Trust Us With Housing Disrepair Claims
Tell us about your housing problem
Complete our online enquiry form with details of the repairs you have reported and the problems you are experiencing.
Initial eligibility check
We review the information you provide to assess whether your enquiry meets our criteria for onward referral.
Save & Return
Your answers are saved as you go, so you can finish your claim later.
Independent solicitor referral
Where appropriate, we may share your enquiry with an independent specialist housing disrepair law firm. The firm will independently decide whether it can assess your circumstances and take your matter forward.
Has your council ignored your repairs?
Begin your housing disrepair claim. First, a few questions about your home — then we'll take you through the rest.
Who is your landlord?
Not ready to start your claim?
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.
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.