No one wants live in a property that is suffering from a housing disrepair. When you notice a disrepair in your home, it’s essential that you seek assistance as quickly as possible. Your landlord is responsible for fixing any damages in your council home or property from the housing association. Even during the lockdown, if something went wrong, they were required to have it looked at and fixed as quickly as possible. However, if your landlord has ignored your alerts during an emergency situation, it’s important that you seek help through alternative means. After all, your landlord is guilty of negligence and seems to be refusing to help you in your time of need. This is when you may need the help of a solicitor to step in to help you.
If your property is suffering from an emergency due to a housing disrepair, it’s important that you seek swift action against your landlord if they refuse to help. After all, you don’t want to get hurt due to your landlord’s negligence. Your solicitor from Gowing Law Solicitors can help you in your time of need and make sure you get the repairs and compensation that you deserve. All you have to do is get in contact with our Housing Disrepair specialists by phoning 0800 041 8350 or by clicking the button below:
Housing Disrepairs: What do I need to know about them?
Before we jump into what could classified as a housing disrepair emergency, let’s talk about housing disrepairs in general. When you move into a council flat or a property from the housing association, you expect it to be in good condition. This is due to the fact that a landlord in the UK has a “duty of care” towards their tenants. According to the UK Government’s website, your landlord must:
“Keep your rented properties safe and free from health hazards”
Your landlord is bound by health and safety guidelines that they must follow in order to keep any residents in their property safe. This is why if your home does fall into a state of disrepair, you have to speak to your landlord as quickly as possible. Your landlord is also responsible for the following:
As you can see, your landlord is responsible for the majority of your rented property. They own the building and any furniture that they have left inside the building. This includes any security or exterior gardens or balconies. That is why if something breaks or the property suffers from a housing disrepair, they need to get involved as quickly as possible to get it sorted. That way you can continue living in comfort in your home. If you do end up suffering from an emergency housing disrepair, it is up to your landlord to get it sorted as quickly as possible. That way you won’t be put in danger and the property will not become unsuitable to live in.
What is classified as a housing disrepair emergency?
Now that you understand that your landlord is responsible for the upkeep of your home, let’s talk about housing disrepairs in general. Most of the time, your home will suffer from small disrepairs that won’t take long to fix. However, you may be wondering to yourself what could classify as an emergency housing disrepair. If something breaks down and could cause you a serious injury, damage other parts of the house or belongings or makes it impossible for you to live in your home, your landlord should have the repairs sorted before the house ends up getting worse.
Examples of emergency housing disrepairs include:
- Extreme mould and damp
- Infestations
- Holes in the floor or ceiling
- Broken windows or doors
- Faulty essential equipment (i.e. cookers, fridges, toilets, etc.)
- Broken stairs
- Destroyed security (i.e. lock)
These are only a few examples of the type of emergency repairs that you could have experienced. What matters is that your landlord needs to be contacted as soon as possible to ensure that the repair is dealt with. If they ignore your requests for help, this is when you should be thinking about making a housing disrepair claim as with an experienced law firm.
How could I be eligible for a Housing Disrepair Claim?
When your landlord refuses to help you sort out the disrepairs within your council home, it’s essential that you reach out to a solicitor instead. After all, they are the specialist that can give your landlord the push they need to take care of their responsibilities. You deserve to live in a home that’s comfortable for both you and your family.
To be eligible for compensation, you have to fall into one of these three damage categories:
It’s important to understand that you could fall into more than one of these categories. For instance, let’s say that a hole appeared in the upper floor of your house. Not only did that destroy some of your furniture underneath due to the impact, but you fell down and managed to break your leg. This caused a massive disturbance in your normal routine as not only you needed to recover from your injury, you found the room upstairs to be practically inaccessible. This caused an inconvenience to your general daily routine. Think carefully about the disrepairs that you have suffered. The extent of your repairs will affect the amount of compensation you could potentially be owed.
Make sure to speak to your solicitor about the circumstances behind your compensation claim. That way you can get the highest pay-out possible and your repairs sorted as quickly as possible.
How can a solicitor help you with an emergency Housing Disrepair Claim?
Here at Gowing Law Solicitors, we understand that when our clients have a housing disrepair, it can cause a lot of inconvenience and frustration. It is your landlord’s responsibility to ensure that you are living in a comfortable environment. That’s why an emergency housing disrepair needs to be sorted out as quickly as possible. That way you can feel comfortable and safe once more.
If your landlord has ignored your requests for help, you need to come to a solicitor as quickly as possible. They can speak to your landlord on your behalf and ensure that they are aware that they are acting negligent. The following process can then be followed to ensure that your emergency damages are quickly assessed. This will be by one of our triage reports and rectified by an experienced repair worker:
As stated in our helpful diagram, our solicitors will be working at the same time as your triage assessor. They will ensure that your landlord is held responsible for their negligence. Similarly, they will make sure they are aware that you will be launching a complaint against them. If they refuse to co-operate, there is a chance that your case could be taken to court. However, this is very unlikely and it is more likely that a settlement agreement will be arranged on your behalf.
Gowing Law Solicitors can help you with your Housing Disrepair Claim
When you move forward with your housing disrepair claim, you will need legal support to ensure you get your repairs sorted and your compensation in your pocket. Our legal team can ensure you get free advice and consultations to get you started. If you are happy to go ahead with your case, our solicitors can work with you on a “no win-no fee” basis. That means you will never have to pay any hidden fees. You will only have to pay your solicitors if they win your case for you. Our last housing disrepair claim only took us 6 weeks to settle. So, what’s stopping you from getting in contact today?
Reach out to Gowing Law Solicitors today by calling 0800 041 8350, emailing info@gowinglaw.co.uk or by using our claim’s checker. One of our specialists will then be in touch to answer all of your questions.
Learn more about Housing Disrepair Claims
If you want to learn more about Housing Disrepair Claims, why not visit our blog to learn more? We update it regularly with brand new content that can help you understand the legal world. This includes information about legal claims, seasonal events, updates about our law firm and the occasional giveaway/competition. You can even suggest topics for our blog by reaching out to our team of specialists. All you have to do is send your ideas to info@gowinglaw.co.uk. One of our writers will then update the blog with answer to your question. You can also follow our social media below to keep an eye on what we have been up to.
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