Housing Disrepair claims – how this affects us all
Disrepair is where a property needs a repair for which the Council, as the landlord, has a statutory obligation to carry out.
The number of Housing Disrepair claims pursued against the Council has increased in recent years, costing us millions of pounds each year.
This means we have less money to carry out repairs and improvements on our tenants’ homes.
Law firms who pursue these claims make substantial profits from them. We would much rather spend this money on repairing and improving your homes, instead of paying it to law firms.
If you are thinking of making a claim due to disrepair, mould or damp:
Report the repair to us
- We will work with you to resolve any issues in your home.
- For information on how to report a repair, click here.
Make a complaint
- If you are unhappy with the repairs service, then please contact us to make a complaint. We will work with you to put things right.
- For information on how to do this, click here
Housing Ombudsman
You can contact the Housing Ombudsman at any time. The Ombudsman can consider complaints about housing organisations. Details on how to contact them can be found on their website.
For information on damp, mould and condensation, and how you can manage and treat this, click here.
Help us to help you:
Please keep us up to date with your contact details.
- If you change your phone number, please let us know as soon as possible.
- Please also let us know if you have an email address, as this is a quick way for us to contact and share information with you.
- If we do not have a valid phone number for you, it may delay inspections and repairs.
Please allow us access to your property.
- If you make a claim for disrepair, your property will need to be inspected by us.
- If you do not allow us access, we cannot get the repairs raised and completed for you.
- Failure to allow access is a breach of your tenancy - it could put your tenancy at risk or we may bring injunction proceedings against you.
Be aware of the following:
- Claims farmers – some organisations target areas of Nottingham going door to door looking for potential Housing Disrepair claims that they can sell on to law firms. They may claim to be working for us, to gain your trust and gain access to your home.
- These firms are not associated with Nottingham City Council, nor are they working on our behalf.
- All Council staff and contractors appointed by the Council carry identification. Always ask for identification and, if unsure, do not allow them to enter your home. You can call us on 0115 915 2222 to verify their identity. Contact the police if you feel unsafe.
- If you use a legal firm to make a claim on your behalf, you must still allow us access to inspect your home and carry out repairs. Failure to do so could put your tenancy at risk or may result in injunctive proceedings being brought against you.
- Some legal firms may charge you if you change your mind after pursuing a claim, or if the legal representative drops the case or if you lose.
- Please think carefully before signing anything – don’t be misled or bullied into it.
- If, when investigating your claim, unauthorised alterations or damage caused by you or visitors to your home are identified, you may be charged for the cost of putting that right.
- If your claim is successful, any debts you owe to the Council (e.g. rent arrears) may be deducted from any compensation paid to you. This may mean you get no money in your hand if your debts exceed the value of your claim
If you have any queries or want to discuss your options further, please contact our designated Disrepair team by email.
Alternatively, please contact our Customer Resolution team with your details, and our Disrepair team will call you back - telephone 0115 915 7333.
