Structural Damage in a Rented Property: What Tenants Can Do
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 10 September 2025. Last reviewed and updated 16 September 2026.
If cracks, sinking floors or crumbling brickwork have appeared in your rented home and your landlord has not put them right, you may be entitled to have the repairs carried out and to claim compensation — with no upfront cost. Structural damage ranges from hairline cracks to serious problems such as subsidence, damaged foundations and unsafe flooring, and it can make a home uncomfortable or genuinely dangerous. Under the law in England and Wales, keeping the structure of a rented property in repair is your landlord's job, not yours.
What Is Structural Disrepair?
Cracks in Walls
Particularly diagonal or stair-step cracks indicating subsidence or structural movement
Subsidence
Gradual sinking of the ground beneath a building, causing foundations to shift
Damaged Roofs
Sagging roof lines, missing tiles, or damaged structural timbers
Unsafe Flooring
Rotting or damaged floor joists, uneven floors, or collapsed sections
Defective Staircases
Broken banisters, loose treads, or unstable structures
Exterior Walls
Crumbling brickwork, failed pointing, or deteriorating render
Failed Lintels
Cracked or sagging lintels above windows and doors
Structural defects often create knock-on problems. Movement around a roof or wall lets water in, which is why many structural cases also involve damp and mould or persistent leaks. If you rent from the local authority, our guide to council housing disrepair explains the extra duties councils have.
Your Landlord's Legal Duties
Three pieces of legislation matter most when a rented home has structural problems:
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11 — requires landlords to keep the structure and exterior of the property in repair, including walls, roofs, foundations, floors and staircases. Read section 11 on legislation.gov.uk
Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 — allows tenants to take their landlord to court directly where the home is unfit to live in, including because of structural instability. View the Act
Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) — the framework councils use to assess hazards such as structural collapse, falls on stairs and excess cold. GOV.UK HHSRS guidance
These duties are triggered once your landlord knows about the defect — which is why putting every report in writing matters so much.
Signs That Structural Damage May Be Serious
Cracks wider than 5mm or that continue to grow
Diagonal cracks running from corners of windows or doors
Doors and windows that no longer open or close properly
Visible gaps between walls and ceilings or floors
Sloping or uneven floors
A sagging or bowing roof line
Cracks in exterior brickwork
If you notice any of these signs, report them to your landlord immediately and avoid using any areas that feel unsafe.
Recognise these signs in your home?
If your landlord has been told about cracks, movement or unsafe floors and nothing has been done, check whether you may be able to claim repairs and compensation.
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How Long Should Structural Repairs Take?
The law says repairs must be done within a "reasonable time" of your landlord being told. What counts as reasonable depends on severity. These are the timescales most social landlords work to and that courts treat as a sensible benchmark.
| Structural defect | Priority | Expected timescale |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling or wall at risk of collapse | Emergency | Made safe within 24 hours |
| Unsafe staircase, banister or balcony | Emergency | Made safe within 24 hours |
| Collapsed or rotten floor joists | Urgent | Around 7 days |
| Roof structure sagging or tiles missing | Urgent | Around 7 days (temporary works sooner) |
| Cracks widening rapidly / suspected subsidence | Urgent | Inspection within 7 days, monitoring thereafter |
| Failed lintel above window or door | Urgent | Around 7 days |
| Damp or mould caused by structural defect | Hazard (Awaab's Law, social housing) | Investigate within 10 working days; make safe within 5 |
| Crumbling pointing or render, no safety risk | Routine | Around 28 days |
| Stable hairline cracks | Routine | Around 28 days or next planned works |
For a fuller breakdown across all repair types, see our guide on how long a landlord has to make repairs.
Steps Tenants Should Take
Report the Issue Immediately
Document Everything
Don't Attempt Structural Repairs Yourself
Contact Environmental Health
If your landlord does not respond, you can contact your local council's environmental health department. They can inspect the property under the HHSRS and may serve an improvement notice.
Escalate to the Ombudsman or Seek Advice
Social housing tenants can escalate an unresolved complaint to the Housing Ombudsman. If structural damage poses a risk to your safety, you may also want advice about a housing disrepair claim.
Evidence That Supports a Structural Disrepair Claim
Photographs
Dated photos showing progression of structural damage
Correspondence
Written messages reporting the issues to your landlord
Council Reports
Environmental health inspection findings
Surveyor Reports
Professional assessment of the structural condition
Medical Records
Records of injuries or health impacts
Damaged Belongings
Evidence of damage to personal property
When Structural Issues May Lead to a Claim
If your landlord has been notified and failed to carry out repairs within a reasonable time, you may be able to make a claim. This is particularly relevant when structural damage has:
Made parts of the property unsafe or unusable
Caused or worsened other problems such as damp and mould or leaks
Affected your health or wellbeing
Resulted in damage to your belongings
Significantly reduced your enjoyment of the property
Compensation for disrepair is often assessed as a proportion of the rent paid while the problem went unrepaired, with additional amounts for damaged belongings and any health impact. Our guide to housing disrepair compensation explains how those figures are usually worked out.
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 landlord ignored cracks or structural damage?
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.
Who We Are
Housing Repair Help is a trading style of Reclaim Experts Ltd, a claims management company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 1030701). Registered in England and Wales, company number 16058317, ICO registration ZB869483. Registered office: Innovation Centre, 49 Oxford Street, Leicester, LE1 5XY. We help tenants across England understand their repair rights and, where appropriate, connect them with independent solicitors. This guide is general information about housing law in England and Wales and is not legal advice.
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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.