Heating System Disrepair: Tenant Rights and Repair Duties
Housing Repair Help Editorial Team · Reviewed by Reclaim Experts Ltd, FCA authorised (FRN 1030701). Editorial standards.
Published 30 September 2026. Last reviewed and updated 30 September 2026.
Heating system disrepair covers a broken boiler, failed radiators, faulty thermostats or a heating system that no longer keeps the home at a safe temperature. Report the fault in writing as soon as it appears, describe who lives in the home and ask for a repair reference and target date.
A total loss of heating or hot water is commonly treated as urgent, especially in cold weather or where children, older people or anyone with a health condition lives in the home. A suspected gas leak or carbon-monoxide alarm is an emergency: call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 and follow its advice.
Signs and Risks Linked to heating system disrepair
No Heating or Hot Water
The boiler or system fails completely, particularly during cold weather
Repeated Breakdowns
The system is patched but fails again within days or weeks
Some Rooms Stay Cold
Failed radiators, valves or pipework leave parts of the home unheated
Safety Concerns
Gas smells, soot marks, dizziness or a carbon-monoxide alarm sounding
Landlord Repair Responsibility
Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, landlords must keep installations for space heating and heating water in repair and proper working order. This generally covers the boiler, radiators, pipework, controls and any fixed heating supplied with the home, whether you rent from a council, housing association or private landlord.
Important: The cause and the tenancy facts matter. Ask for the inspection findings in writing and do not stop paying rent because a repair remains outstanding.
How to Report heating system disrepair
Report the Problem in Writing
Ask for Inspection and a Repair Plan
Update the Landlord if It Worsens
Make a Stage 1 Complaint to the Landlord
Escalate to Stage 2 and the Housing Ombudsman
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.
Heating system disrepair still unresolved?
If you reported the problem and your landlord has not put it right within a reasonable time, check whether it may qualify for further review.
Start Your ClaimFCA Regulated Claims Management Company FRN: 1030701
No obligation.
Not ready to start your claim?
Evidence to Keep
Dated Fault Record
Note when heating or hot water failed and each time it returned
Reports and References
Keep every repair reference, engineer visit and missed appointment
Temperature Evidence
Room thermometer readings and photos of the boiler display or error codes
Costs and Impact
Receipts for portable heaters, extra electricity and any health effects
When a Housing Disrepair Claim May Be Possible
A claim may be possible if your landlord was told about a defect within its responsibility, did not put it right within a reasonable time and the conditions caused a measurable impact.
Clear evidence that the landlord received notice
A defect the landlord was legally or contractually responsible for
An unreasonable delay, failed repair or refusal shown by dated records
Loss of use, inconvenience, damaged belongings, extra costs or health effects
Compensation is not automatic and there is no fixed tariff. Responsibility, notice, delay, causation and evidence must be assessed in every case.
Why Tenants Trust Us With Housing Disrepair Claims
Simple Online Process
Answer a few guided questions from your phone or computer.
No Paperwork Hassle
Upload your evidence digitally, without printing or posting documents.
Save & Return
Your answers are saved as you go, so you can finish your claim later.
Experienced Legal Review
Every case is reviewed by our panel of SRA housing disrepair solicitors. No-Win-No-Fee.
Has your landlord failed to resolve heating system disrepair?
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?
Frequently Asked Questions
Could you have a housing disrepair claim?
If you reported heating system disrepair and it has not been properly resolved, you may be able to make a claim.
Start Your ClaimFCA Regulated Claims Management Company FRN: 1030701
No obligation.
Not ready to start your claim?
Find Help in Your Area
Further Reading
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.