- You rent from a council or housing association
- You've reported the problem to your landlord
- It still hasn't been fixed properly
How much compensation can you expect?
Compensation for disrepair is most commonly assessed as a proportion of your rent for the period your landlord knew about the problem and failed to fix it. The worse the conditions and the longer they lasted, the higher the proportion. On top of that, you can claim for belongings the disrepair ruined and costs it forced on you.
A claim is made up of up to three elements
Living with the disrepair
Usually the largest element. Damages for the discomfort, distress and loss of enjoyment of your home, assessed as a proportion of your rent for the period of disrepair.
Damaged belongings
The value of furniture, clothing, carpets, bedding and electricals ruined by damp, leaks or other defects. Photos and receipts help, but a reasonable account of what was lost can still support this part.
Out-of-pocket expenses
Costs the disrepair forced on you — higher heating bills, running a dehumidifier, replacing food when a kitchen was unusable, redecoration you paid for yourself. Keep receipts and bills.
Three things drive the figure
Severity
Disrepair confined to one room sits at the lower end — around 25% of rent. Widespread disrepair affecting day-to-day life sits around 50%, and conditions making your home completely uninhabitable can reach up to 100%.
Duration
Compensation runs over the period your landlord knew about the problem and failed to act. A problem ignored for three years is worth substantially more than the same problem ignored for three months — which is why your evidence of when you first reported it matters so much.
Your rent
Because the award is a proportion of rent, the same conditions in a higher-rent property produce a larger award. It makes no difference who pays the rent — if housing benefit or Universal Credit covers it, the calculation works exactly the same way and the compensation is yours.
A worked example
A tenant without heating or hot water for three winter months — treated as severe:
Every claim turns on its own facts, so no firm can honestly promise a figure — this is an illustration, not an estimate, and you may receive more or less. If you owe rent arrears, they are legally paid from your compensation first.
What makes an award larger or smaller
Notice
The clock only runs from when your landlord knew. Clear, early, written reports lengthen the compensation period; gaps in the record shorten it.
Your landlord's conduct
Missed appointments, botched repairs and painted-over problems all strengthen a claim. A landlord who genuinely tried to fix things promptly weakens one.
Access
Landlords often argue the tenant refused access for repairs. If you've ever had to turn a contractor away, note when and why — repeatedly refusing access without good reason can cause a claim to fail.
Vulnerability
Where young children, elderly or disabled occupants have lived with the conditions, the impact — and often the award — is greater.
Compensation questions, answered
Housing benefit pays my rent — does that reduce my compensation?
Will I get the repairs done as well as compensation?
Will my compensation affect my benefits?
Is there a time limit on claiming?
Find out what your claim could be worth
Tell us how long you've lived with the problem and when you first reported it. We'll assess your case for free and explain your position honestly.
Start Your Claim No win, no fee — council & housing association tenants only.