Back to the list
Disrepair claims – know the facts
There are people from disrepair claim companies who work on our estates.
These people represent claim handlers or solicitors. Their aim is to make money – usually up to £500 per referral (whether or not the claim is real). They may tell you that your home is in need of repair and encourage you to put in a claim against us.
We want you to be aware of them, what happens if you claim and how it affects us.
Be aware
Disrepair claim companies use a legal scheme that was introduced to protect tenants from bad landlords.
These companies want to make money out of you and your home.
You need to know the facts in case they approach you.
We’ll defend all cases against us and we have a successful record. Unfortunately tenants have been left with the costs of:
- Charges for a survey
- Credit agreement charges of over £500 for “no win, no fee” to cover legal cost insurance
So, please be careful before you commit to any agreements with these companies. They put you at financial risk.
What happens if you claim for disrepair?
One of our surveyors will visit your home to do a survey.
This will check for disrepair and point out what needs to be done.
Courts class our surveyors as expert witnesses. This means that they also have a duty to the court.
Our surveyor will also check if we need to charge you for any property damage during your tenancy.
Please note that you could be in breach of your tenancy agreement if you don’t keep your home clean and in a good state.
How disrepair claims affect us
It’s costly for us to go to court and defend cases. We don’t have insurance against these claims, so the more that we spend to defend cases the less we have for repairs, improvements and other services for all tenants.
We have a team to deal with cases and protect us against claims – the work they do avoids costs so we have more to spend on your homes and estates.
Our service to you
We’re committed to giving you a good service.
We’ll listen to your complaints and work with you to fix any problems.
We want to avoid legal action but we’ll defend ourselves if necessary.
Please tell us if you need us to fix a repair by calling 01204 328000.