By making a housing disrepair claim, you have decided that your landlord is guilty of negligence. Your landlord is responsible for the upkeep of your home. Although you need to keep it clean, tidy and in a habitable state, if there are repairs that need to be completed in your council home, that falls to your landlord to fix. Currently, the UK is coming out of the lockdown. However, before this ease started, your landlord should have been checking in regularly to make sure that there are no disrepairs that could impact your life for the worst. If they have completely ignored you throughout the lockdown, even if there have been problems, you could be eligible to make a compensation claim.
Find out more about making a housing disrepair claim by calling Gowing Law’s firm at 0800 041 8350 or by clicking the button below:
What is a landlord responsible for with my council house?
As you can see, if you live in a council house or a home from the housing association, your landlord is responsible for quite a lot of the property. When you first move in, you expect it to be in a good condition. That way if you are moving in with any other people, you can feel safe and secure in your own residence. Take a look at the infographic below to get a better idea of what areas of your property fall under your landlord’s responsibility:
These are only a few examples of what repairs your landlord will need to make. If any of the aforementioned categories do fall into disrepair, it is their job to get them fixed as quickly as possible. Even during the lockdown, they are responsible for sending out (and financing) any engineers to repair the damages to your home. If they fail to do this, by either ignoring you or refusing outright, they could be liable for negligence. That means they have failed in their “duty of care” towards the residents within their property.
How do I know if I am eligible to make a housing disrepair claim?
Above you can see a case study of a client who was eligible to make a housing disrepair claim. They are not as complicated as you may originally think. Instead you need to think of this type of claim in relation to their damages. That way you can figure out whether or not you are eligible. For any type of personal injury claim, the amount of compensation that you receive will be based on your physical damages. The same thing applies to housing disrepair claims. You can make your claim based on your physical, emotional and financial damages. You can also make a claim based on the damages to your belongings.
Your eligibility for Housing Disrepair Claims will be based on three things:
- Your physical damages: If the disrepair has caused you to get hurt, and you need to seek medical treatment to try and help improve your condition, you could be eligible for compensation.
- Damages to your property: Your belongings may have been damaged by leaks, damp and mould. If this has happened, your landlord will be responsible for replacing the damaged items
- Inconvenience: The disrepairs in your property may have taken a toll on your daily pattern and quality of life in general. If it has disrupted your pattern, and you have found you cannot use your house property, you could be eligible for a claim.
If you fall into any of these categories, you could be eligible for compensation. Speak to your solicitor to find out more about your eligibility. That way you can feel confident about asking for compensation.
Should my landlord be helping me during the lockdown?
To be quite blunt, they should have been helping you throughout the lockdown if your home was suffering from disrepair. It is your landlord’s duty to make sure that you were living without the damages impacting your quality of life. Of course, it may have been difficult to visit you due to the social-distancing regulations. However, they could have organized a professional repair team to go to your home. They could have also spoken to you through email or phone to assess what the damages were. If you were worried about them coming to your home, you could have sent them pictures of the damages instead. As you can see, even during the pandemic, there were lots of ways that they could have helped sort out your disrepairs. If they just ignored you, this is a sign of negligence and shows that you could be owed compensation for your damages.
Now that lockdown is easing, and it is becoming simpler for people to meet in the public, your landlord should be trying to offer more support in relation to your disrepairs. If you feel as if they are still not doing this, you should start on your Housing Disrepair Claim with Gowing Law Solicitors. Our team of specialists are here to assist you throughout the lockdown and beyond!
How much could I be owed from a Housing Disrepair Claim?
You may be wondering how much compensation you could be owed from your claim. Quite honestly, it depends on the extent of your damages and the negligence of your landlord. If you have suffered from physical injuries, emotional and property damages, it’s very likely that you will receive a higher amount of compensation than someone who has just had a few belongings damaged due to a leak. The best way to get an estimate of how much compensation you could be owed is by speaking to your solicitor. They can calculate your damages and let you know whether or not you should move forward with your claim.
Are you ready to get started on your Housing Disrepair Claim?
We understand that you may feel nervous and vulnerable when you make your housing disrepair claim. After all, you may not understand who to turn to if you are struggling to move forward and get the repairs needed to live in comfortable accommodation. Gowing Law Solicitors will be there to support you throughout your claim. We can offer you free advice and consultations to get you started. If you are happy to move forward, we can offer you our help on a “no win-no fee” basis. That means you will not need to pay any hidden fees. Instead, you will only need to pay our solicitors if they win your case. Therefore, you will always come out on top.
Contact our lawyers today by calling 0800 041 8350, emailing info@gowinglaw.co.uk or by using our simple self-assessment form. One of our specialists will then be in touch to answer any questions you may have.
Learn more about Housing Disrepair Claims
If you want to learn more about different types of housing disrepair claims, the best place to visit is Gowing Law’s blog page. We update it every week with brand new content. This includes information about different legal claims, seasonal events and information about our law firm’s latest updates. We even host the occasional competition or giveaway on our blog and social media. So, make sure to keep an eye on the blog to see what’s been happening! You can even suggest a blog topic to us by emailing info@gowinglaw.co.uk.
We look forward to seeing you in our next blog!
