Living in a home affected by serious disrepair can take a toll on your health, finances, and overall quality of life. Whether it’s mould, broken heating, water leaks, or structural damage, tenants are legally entitled to compensation if their landlord fails to carry out repairs in a reasonable time.
In this article, the Housing Disrepair Team breaks down how much compensation you can claim, what types of damages you may be entitled to, and what factors influence the payout amount.
When Can You Claim Compensation for Disrepair?
Under UK housing law, your landlord is responsible for maintaining the structure of the property and essential services such as heating, plumbing, and electrics. If they fail to do so — and this causes you harm or inconvenience — you can make a legal claim.
Common grounds for compensation include:
- Living with mould or damp
- No heating or hot water
- Leaking roofs or pipes
- Pest infestations
- Health issues caused by poor living conditions
- Damage to your personal belongings
At Housing Disrepair Team, we help council, housing association, and private tenants across the UK claim the compensation they’re owed — often with no upfront costs.
What Types of Compensation Can You Claim?
There are three main categories of compensation in a housing disrepair claim:
1. General Damages
These are awarded for the inconvenience, pain, suffering, and distress caused by living in poor conditions. Factors include:
- How long the disrepair lasted
- Severity of the damage
- Impact on your daily life and mental health
For example, a tenant living with black mould for a year — which affected their child’s asthma — could receive several thousand pounds in general damages.
2. Special Damages
This covers any financial losses caused by the disrepair, such as:
- Replacing damaged clothes or furniture
- Medical expenses (e.g. prescriptions for respiratory issues)
- Additional heating or electricity costs
- Loss of earnings if you had to take time off work
Tenants should keep receipts and records to support these claims. The Housing Disrepair Team helps clients gather all relevant evidence to maximise special damages.
3. Rent Rebate or Reduction
You may be entitled to a percentage of your rent back for the time you lived in disrepair — even if you received housing benefit.
Compensation is usually calculated as a percentage of your rent during the period affected. The worse the disrepair, the higher the percentage.
For example:
- 20%–25% rent reduction for significant issues like mould or no heating
- 50%+ rent reduction if parts of the property were uninhabitable
- 100% rent refund in rare cases where the entire home was unsafe to live in
How Is Compensation Calculated?
There’s no fixed formula, but the following factors affect how much compensation you can receive:
- Length of time the disrepair persisted
- Severity of the issue (minor leak vs. complete heating failure)
- Impact on health and wellbeing (especially in children or vulnerable adults)
- How much of the property was affected (one room vs. whole house)
- Efforts you made to report the issue to your landlord
- Evidence such as photos, doctor’s letters, or repair logs
At Housing Disrepair Team, we use our legal expertise and real-world case experience to estimate the likely value of each claim and negotiate strongly with landlords or housing authorities.
Examples of Housing Disrepair Compensation
Here are a few real-world examples to give you an idea of potential compensation payouts
Please note: amounts can vary depending on the case. Housing Disrepair Team offers free, personalised estimates based on your situation.
Do You Have to Go to Court?
In many cases, you don’t need to go to court. Our solicitors at Housing Disrepair Team aim to settle most claims early, through negotiation or mediation with landlords or housing providers.
However, if necessary, we can take your case to court and apply for:
- An order requiring the landlord to fix the issues (called an injunction)
- A full compensation award
- Recovery of your legal costs (so you don’t pay out of pocket)
No Win, No Fee Housing Disrepair Claims
Worried about legal fees? Don’t be. At Housing Disrepair Team, we offer a No Win, No Fee service. That means:
- You pay nothing upfront
- If your case is unsuccessful, you pay nothing
- If you win, your legal costs are covered by the landlord or housing provider
We handle everything from evidence collection to correspondence and legal filing, so you can focus on your wellbeing.
How to Start Your Compensation Claim
Follow these steps to get your claim underway:
- Report the Disrepair
- Make sure you’ve informed your landlord or housing provider in writing.
- Gather Evidence
- Take clear photos, videos, and keep a record of communications, repair logs, or medical appointments.
- Get Legal Advice
- Contact a housing disrepair specialist — like Housing Disrepair Team — for a free case review.
- Start Your Claim
- If eligible, we’ll help you file your Letter of Claim and pursue the compensation you deserve.
Let Housing Disrepair Team Help You
No one should have to live in substandard housing. If your landlord has failed to carry out necessary repairs and you’ve suffered as a result, it’s time to take action.
At Housing Disrepair Team, we specialise in:
- Winning fair compensation for tenants
- Securing urgent repair work
- Representing council, housing association, and private tenants across the UK