HOUSING REPAIR CLAIMS

A landlord’s obligations are set out in several pieces of legislation including, the Landlord and Tenant Act (LTA) 1985. In accordance with Section 11 of the LTA a landlord must:

• Keep in repair the structure and exterior of the dwelling, including drains, gutters, and external pipes.
• Keep in repair and proper working order the installation in the dwelling for the supply of water, gas, electricity, and sanitation (including basis, sinks, baths and sanitary conveniences).
• Keep in repair and proper working order the installations in the dwelling for space heating and heating water.

Common examples include:

• Flooding and water leaks. Flooding and water leaks can expose you to health and safety risks. Water damage is a serious issue in any property and must be addressed quickly to prevent it from entering your property and damaging your belongings or even causing damp.
• Structural defect to the property. Structural issues can be a ticking time bomb as they often represent the root cause of other problems in a property, many of which can result in disrepair claims. For instance, broken stairs and rails, broken ceilings or roof, cracked walls, rotten window or door frames, severely cracked wall plaster and loose tiles etc.
• Damp or mould issues. Many housing disrepair cases are due to failure on the part of the landlord to deal with damp and mould. Damp and mould can expose tenants to serious health issues and make the environment unsafe to live in.
• Boilers and electrics. Many landlords fail when it comes to ensuring that the heating system in the home is in optimum condition. Faulty electrics are hazardous to live with and should be repaired to avoid fire disaster.
• Problems with the roof, windows, gutters and drains. The windows, roof, drains, and gutters are crucial to your health and safety in a rented home. It is the responsibility of your landlord to maintain these parts.

If your landlord ignores your requests or delays any repairs, then you may be able to bring a claim against them to force them to carry out the necessary repairs. You may also be able to claim compensation for the inconvenience caused, damage to your health, damage to personal belongings and any financial losses caused by the disrepair. The exact amount of compensation depends on the severity of the disrepair and how it affects you as an individual.

You can receive compensation for:

• Damage to belongings. This would include for instance damage to clothing and bedding, carpets, and electrical appliances.
• Personal injury. This would include monetary compensation for ill health caused because of the disrepair. The amount of compensation you receive will depend on a number of factors including the severity of your illness and how long it lasted.
• Inconvenience. This would either be a cash sum or a partial rebate on your rent to compensate you for the inconvenience caused by the disrepair.

We operate on a no win no fee basis. This means that if we lose your case, you won’t pay us a penny. If we are successful, our costs are deducted from any money we recover for you. The amount we will deduct will never exceed 25% plus VAT of your total compensation. Please note that there will also be disbursements such as court fees and barrister’s fees. All disbursements will be approved in advance.