Your boiler has been broken for six weeks. You've reported the mould on the bedroom wall three times. Your landlord replies with vague promises and nothing changes. That's not just frustrating, it's actionable, and there's money attached to it.
Disrepair claims in the UK are worked out as a share of the rent you already paid for the period the disrepair existed, plus additional damages for personal injury, damaged belongings, and inconvenience. It is money back, not a lower rent bill going forward. No rule sets the share, but claims of moderate severity commonly land between a quarter and a half of the rent, rising towards all of it where a home is genuinely unfit to live in. On a £1,400 monthly rent over 12 months of ignored damp, that share translates to real figures fast.
This article breaks down how much compensation for disrepair UK tenants can claim, what affects the figure, and what you need to do to pursue it.
How disrepair compensation is calculated in the UK
The calculation follows a two-part structure the courts use across England.
The first part is general damages: a share of the rent you paid back to you, for every month the disrepair affected your enjoyment of the property. No statute or protocol fixes that share, and the judge sets it on the facts, but moderate cases commonly land between a quarter and a half. Where a home is unfit for human habitation under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, it can run to the whole rent. A tenant paying £1,200 per month with a serious damp problem ignored for eight months could be looking at general damages of £2,400 to £4,800 from this element alone.
The second part is special damages: quantified, provable losses. This covers damaged clothing or furniture, medical expenses if the disrepair caused illness, and higher energy bills from a broken boiler. These are added on top of the rent reduction figure.
What courts look at when fixing the percentage: how much of the property was affected, how long the issue persisted, whether you reported it formally and when, and whether the landlord had a reasonable opportunity to fix it before failing to act. Severity is not just about what broke, it's about what you lost the use of. A broken boiler in July hits differently than one in January.
What makes a disrepair claim worth more or less
There is no fixed price list by problem type. Two damp claims on the same street can settle years apart in value, because the figure tracks your rent, how long the disrepair lasted, and how much of your home you lost the use of. What the type of hazard tells you is how seriously a court is likely to treat it.
Damp and mould claims turn on documented health impact. Mould causing respiratory symptoms or aggravating asthma is treated far more seriously than a patch that stains a wall, especially where a GP has linked your symptoms to the property. Where a home is left genuinely unfit, the rent reduction can run to the top of the scale.
Structural defects, roof leaks and subsidence are among the most serious hazards, and they tend to go unresolved for long periods, so the period you can claim for is often a long one.
Broken heating or no hot water is judged heavily on duration and season. A boiler left unfixed through winter is a much stronger claim than one broken in late spring. More on what to do when your landlord won't fix your boiler.
Electrical hazards are taken seriously by the courts, particularly where the landlord has breached the electrical safety regulations. The landlord electrical safety certificate obligations matter here.
Gas safety failures are one of the most serious categories. A missing gas safety certificate is not by itself a rent repayment order offence, but an unsafe or unchecked gas installation is disrepair, and it can make the property unfit. See the breakdown on gas safety certificate breach and tenant compensation.
The honest answer to 'how much' comes back to your own rent, the months affected, and the evidence you hold, not a set amount per problem.
Does Awaab's Law apply to private renters yet?
Not yet. Awaab's Law sets binding repair timescales, but from 27 October 2025 it covers social housing only. For an emergency hazard a social landlord has to investigate and make the home safe within 24 hours. For significant damp and mould they must investigate within 10 working days. Both of the next deadlines run from the day that investigation ends: a written summary within 3 working days, and the home made safe by completing the relevant safety work within 5 working days. Supplementary preventative work must begin within 5 working days of the same date, or the landlord must take steps to secure that it begins within 12 weeks, and complete it within a reasonable period. An extension to the private rented sector is provided for under the Renters' Rights Act, but no date has been set and the government has still to consult on the timescales.
So if you rent privately, your claim still rests on the older but well-tested framework: the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 duty to keep the property in repair, and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, which lets you sue directly where a home is unfit to live in. What counts as a 'reasonable' time to repair is judged case by case. See Awaab's Law and what private renters can claim for where the law is heading.
Cost is not a defence. A landlord who tells you repairs are 'too expensive right now' has no legal basis for that position. The duty to repair does not bend to the size of the bill.
What evidence you need to claim compensation
The quality of your evidence determines whether your claim settles quickly at a fair figure, or drags. A court is not going to take your word for it, and neither is your landlord's insurer.
You need, at minimum:
- Written reports of the disrepair, ideally by email or text so you have a timestamp. Verbal reports are almost impossible to prove.
- Photographs and video, dated, showing the condition of the property. Take these when the problem first appears and at regular intervals after that.
- Your landlord's responses, or their silence. Screenshot ignored messages. Forward unanswered emails to yourself.
- Medical evidence if you're claiming personal injury. A GP letter linking your symptoms to the property conditions significantly increases the value of your claim.
- Receipts for damaged belongings if you're claiming special damages.
The period that matters starts once you have formally notified your landlord and a reasonable time to repair has passed, not from when the problem began. If you reported a leak verbally in March but by email only in May, your compensation period typically starts in May, once your landlord has had a reasonable time to get the leak fixed. Send that email.
Once you have this documentation, sending a formal letter before action to your landlord is usually the first step before any court proceedings.
How to make a disrepair claim in practice
Disrepair compensation claims in England go through the County Court as a civil claim. Before issuing proceedings, you're expected to follow the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims, which requires you to notify your landlord formally and give them a reasonable opportunity to respond. That process is covered in detail in our housing disrepair protocol UK guide.
Many claims settle before reaching a courtroom. A solicitor's letter backed by solid evidence and a credible claim value is often enough to prompt a landlord to offer a settlement. The no-win-no-fee model works well here because it aligns the solicitor's incentive with yours: they only get paid if you win, so they won't take a claim they don't think is worth pursuing.
Remedies available to you include:
- Damages (the compensation figure calculated as above)
- A court order requiring the landlord to carry out repairs
- Costs, meaning your landlord pays your legal fees if you win
Reporting the disrepair to your local council's environmental health team runs in parallel to a compensation claim and doesn't replace it. Council enforcement can compel repairs but cannot award you money. You need a court for that.
Remedy can help you work out what your claim is worth before you commit to anything. The Remedy platform gives you a free instant assessment of your situation, checks your landlord's compliance record, and gives you a clear view of what you're owed and what to do next.
When a disrepair claim overlaps with a Rent Repayment Order
Disrepair compensation and Rent Repayment Orders are separate legal routes, but they can run alongside each other.
A Rent Repayment Order applies when your landlord has committed a specific housing offence: operating an unlicensed HMO, failing to comply with an improvement notice, or committing certain other violations. If both apply to your situation, the combined value can be significant. A tenant whose landlord runs an unlicensed HMO and has ignored damp for months could pursue a Rent Repayment Order for the licensing breach at the same time as a disrepair claim for the condition of the home. The two are worked out separately and stack.
Those aren't exotic cases. They're fairly common, particularly in houses in multiple occupation. The unlicensed HMO Rent Repayment Order guide explains the RRO route in detail.
Remedy checks both simultaneously. When you submit your situation, the platform reviews your landlord's compliance across licensing, deposit protection, gas safety, and repair obligations at the same time, so you don't miss a parallel claim that's sitting right next to the one you already know about.
Disrepair claims are worth more than most tenants think, and they're more straightforward than most tenants fear. If your landlord has ignored repairs and you've reported them in writing, you likely have a claim. The question is how large it is and how quickly you can move.
Start with Remedy's free instant assessment. Share what's happening in your property, and Remedy will tell you what violations exist, what compensation range applies to your situation, and what to do first. No consultation fee, no credit card required. If you want to go further, the platform walks you through drafting letters, filing with the relevant bodies, and preparing a court bundle if it comes to that. The expert tier operates on a no-win-no-fee basis, starting at 10% of winnings.
Your landlord knows the longer you wait, the less likely you are to claim. Don't wait.
