What Is Disrepair in Housing?

Whether you rent your own home or live in shared accommodation, it’s your landlord’s responsibility to ensure the premises are clean and safe. If your landlord has not done this, you could have grounds for a claim.

Housing disrepair covers a range of problems such as dampness, mould, rotting floors and stairs. This can affect your health, damage your belongings and even lead to the loss of your property.

Contact Tenant Housing Disrepair for your claim compensation help. You may also visit their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages for help.

What is disrepair?

If you are living in a rented property and you notice any issues of disrepair, this could be an issue for you to raise with your landlord. You must inform them of any problems straight away so that they can take action and resolve the problem to your satisfaction.

A lot of housing disrepair can be found on outside of your home, for example,, a damaged fence or drainage faults. It can also be problems that you see inside the property, such as a pest infestation of rats or mice.

If your landlord has failed to fix the disrepair, it can be a good idea to contact an expert team to help you make a claim for compensation. The compensation you can receive will depend on the severity of the damage and how it has impacted your life. General damages are calculated as a percentage of your rent, while special damages are based on out-of-pocketcket expenses you have incurred.

Damage to the property

Damage to the property is a serious issue that can significantly reduce its value. It can also lead to hefty cleaning fees and expensive repairs.

Landlords should make sure they thoroughly inspt property before every tenant moves in and after emove-out out. This should include taking photos and videos.

Tenants should be responsible for repairing any damage that they cause to the property. This should be noted in the tenancy agreeent, and must be paid for by the tenant.

Damage can also be claimed for the cost of repairs and other expenses such as the time it takes to carry out repair work, and cleaning and re-decorating costs. This can be a significant financial burden for landlords.

Inconvenience to the tenant

Housing disrepair can often be a major nuisance for the tenant and can also cause them to have difficulties living in their home. It can result in issues such as being unable to use the bathroom or kitchen facilities and can be very disruptive, especially if it has been for some time.

If you have been inconvenienced by housing disrepair you can claim compensation which can be taken as a cash refund or a reduction in your rent. The amount will depend on how severe the problem was and how long you were unable to live in your home due to it.

Similarly, if a landlord fails to carry out repairs that are within their repair obligations they are liable to pay compensation to the tenant for any damages caused by the disrepair. This can include things like mental health problems which have been exacerbated by living in housing disrepair, such as anxiety and depression.

The landlord’s responsibility

As a landlord, you are under an implied duty to make sure that your property is fit for purpose and repair it when necessary. This can be written into your tenancy agreement or it may be implied by law.

This essentially means that if you have a leaking roof, damp, subsidence, rotten woodwoor rk, a faulty fire or drains in your property, you must tell your landlord about it and get them to carry out repairs as soon as possible. The landlord must then carry out the repairs within a reasonable time, which depends on the seriousness of the issue and can vary from one case to another.

The same applies to any other items in disrepair that could pose a threat to the health or safety of any of your tenants or anyone else living at the property. This is outlined in the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. If your landlord doesn’t make repairs to the disrepair within a reasonable time, you can take legal action against them.