Has your landlord Failed to carry out repairs to your home after months and months of complaining? As a tenant you have the legal right to get your home repaired and receive compensation due to being neglected.

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HDR claim form

What Can You Claim Compensation for?

It’s important to understand the actual things that you can claim compensation for Homes (Fitness for human Habitation) act 2018

01. Personal items: In case the landlord’s failure to conduct the necessary repairs or maintenance leads to damage or destruction of any personal items,

02. Fittings and furnishings: If items such as paintings, lamps, and other decorative items were damaged due to the landlord’s continuous failure to conduct the needed repairs,

03. Other items: If the landlord’s continued negligence to repair or conduct the necessary maintenance, which leads to items such as bedding, clothing, etc. to be damaged, you can claim for them.

Here are a few other thing to take into consideration:

The courts will decide whether a property is fit for human habitation by considering the matters set out in section 10 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. These are whether:

  • the building has been neglected and is in a bad condition
  • the building is unstable
  • there’s a serious problem with damp
  • it has an unsafe layout
  • there’s not enough natural light
  • there’s not enough ventilation
  • there is a problem with the supply of hot and cold water
  • there are problems with the drainage or the lavatories
  • it’s difficult to prepare and cook food or wash up

Landlord Responsibilities

Every landlord that rents out a residential property in the UK has strict responsibilities in terms of what they must maintain. In case a landlord fails to fulfill these responsibilities, the tenant has a reason to claim for housing disrepair damages. The following are some of the things that the landlord is obliged to take care of:

Any damages to the exterior walls of the property, along with the windows, roof, and other external fittings.
All drains, and the plumbing system for freshwater supply unless they are the responsibility of the local water board.
Maintaining and repairing gas appliances like heaters
Repairing and maintaining the central heating and hot water
maintain all electrical work within the property.

In case you’re unsure whether part of your property is the responsibility of the landlord to repair, don’t hesitate to reach out to Emerald Law and we’ll be happy to Advise you.

Tenant Responsibilities

Just as the landlords, every tenant has a set of legal responsibilities towards their rented property:

The tenant is responsible for performing certain maintenance on the property, like changing any fuses that blow or lightbulbs that expire.
The tenant also has to make responsible use of all fittings and fixtures on the property, such as making sure they put the right kind of garbage into the waste disposal unit to avoid damaging it.
The tenant should at all times, avoid damage on the property, and also make sure that their visitors don’t damage the property.