How to Report Housing Disrepair to a Council or Housing Association
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 25 August 2025. Last reviewed and updated 15 April 2026.
If your landlord has failed to carry out necessary repairs, knowing how to report housing disrepair to the right authority can be an important next step. Whether you rent from a private landlord, a local council, or a housing association, this guide on how to report housing disrepair in England and Wales explains what counts as disrepair, when to involve your local council, how to use the housing association complaints process and the Housing Ombudsman, and what happens during and after an inspection.
What Counts as Housing Disrepair?
Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, landlords must maintain the structure, exterior, and key installations. Common examples of disrepair include:
Damp & Mould
Condensation, rising damp, and mould growth
Leaking Roof/Pipes
Water ingress causing damage
Broken Heating
Boilers and heating systems
Faulty Electrics
Unsafe wiring and fittings
Pest Infestations
Caused by structural issues
Structural Damage
Cracks, subsidence, unsafe floors
When to Escalate Beyond Your Landlord
Your first step is always to report the issue to your landlord — whether that's a private landlord, your local council, or your housing association — in writing. You should consider escalating when:
You've already reported the issue to your landlord, council or housing association in writing
They have not responded or have refused to carry out the repairs
A reasonable amount of time has passed without repairs being made
The issue is affecting your health or safety
Which route applies to you? If you rent from a private landlord, escalate to your local council's environmental health team. If you rent from a council, the council acts as your landlord — use its formal complaints process, then escalate to the Housing Ombudsman. If you rent from a housing association, follow its internal complaints process and then refer to the Housing Ombudsman.
Environmental Health Inspections
When you report a housing issue, the council may send an environmental health officer (EHO) to inspect your property:
Property Assessment
Hazard Identification (HHSRS)
Documentation
Risk Classification
Each hazard is classified as Category 1 (serious — council must act) or Category 2 (less serious — council has discretion to act).
What Councils Can Order Landlords to Fix
If the inspection reveals serious problems, the council has several enforcement options:
Improvement Notice
Requiring the landlord to carry out specific repairs within a set timeframe.
Prohibition Order
Restricting or preventing the use of part or all of the property.
Emergency Remedial Action
The council carries out urgent repairs and charges the landlord.
Hazard Awareness Notice
Informing the landlord of issues that need attention.
Reporting Disrepair to a Housing Association
If you rent from a housing association, the council's environmental health route generally doesn't apply in the same way — the housing association is your landlord, so the escalation route runs through their internal complaints process and then the Housing Ombudsman Service.
Report the repair
Stage 1 formal complaint
Stage 2 escalation
Housing Ombudsman
Once the internal process is exhausted (or 8 weeks have passed without a final response), you can refer your case to the Housing Ombudsman Service, who can investigate and order the association to put things right.
Tip: Council tenants follow a similar route — start with the council's formal complaints process, then escalate to the Housing Ombudsman if the issue isn't resolved.
What Happens After You Report Disrepair
For private tenants, after a council inspection the council writes to both you and your landlord with their findings. If enforcement action is taken, the landlord is given a deadline to comply, and failure to comply can result in fines or prosecution.
For council and housing association tenants, you should receive a written response at each stage of the complaints process and, if escalated, a formal determination from the Housing Ombudsman.
A council inspection report, complaint correspondence, or Ombudsman decision can all be valuable evidence if you decide to make a housing disrepair claim. They document the condition of the property at a specific point in time.
Solicitors Regulation Authority
If you decide to take legal action after learning how to report housing disrepair, it's important to use a regulated solicitor. All our panel of solicitors are registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and conduct housing disrepair work.
Solicitors Regulation Authority
The independent regulator of solicitors and law firms in England and Wales.
sra.org.uk →Free Independent Advice
Before taking action, you can get free, independent advice on how to report housing disrepair and your rights as a tenant from Citizens Advice or Shelter.
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.
Has your landlord ignored serious repair issues?
If your landlord has ignored serious repair issues, you may be able to submit your situation for review. Start your claim — it's free and there's no obligation.
Start Your ClaimFCA Regulated Claims Management Company FRN: 1030701
No obligation.
Not ready to start your claim?
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.