Repairs and disrepair — Eastlight Community Homes

Before thinking about any legal claim, report the problem and complain to Eastlight. It is free, and it is often the fastest way to get repairs moving. It also creates a written record of what you reported and when — the evidence a claim relies on later, if you ever need one.

Report the repair. Use the My Eastlight portal and app (opens in new tab) or Eastlight's online repair form (opens in new tab). You can also report a repair by letter, by email or in person.^[11]

Eastlight's contact number. Call 0330 128 0330. The number takes emergency calls 24 hours a day, and customer service hours are on Eastlight's contact page (opens in new tab). Report an emergency by phone, not online.^[11] If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.^[16] If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999.

Report damp and mould. Eastlight has its own damp and mould page (opens in new tab) and report form. It says it deals with emergency damp and mould issues within 24 hours and investigates other reports within 14 calendar days.^[17]

Make a complaint. Complain through the My Eastlight portal or Eastlight's feedback and complaints page (opens in new tab), or by phone, in person, by email or by letter.^[14] Eastlight acknowledges a complaint within 5 working days. It aims to answer Stage One within 10 working days of that, and a Stage Two review within 20 working days of acknowledging it.^[14] Ask for Stage Two within a month of the Stage One reply.^[15]

Complain early, and before any legal case. Eastlight's complaints policy says it may not accept a complaint about an issue that happened more than twelve months ago, or twelve months after you became aware of it, unless there are exceptional circumstances. It may also refuse one already part of a claim filed at court.^[15]

If the complaint doesn't fix it: the Housing Ombudsman. After Stage Two, you can take the complaint to the Housing Ombudsman, which is free, independent and impartial.^[14]

Free advice. Shelter and Citizens Advice offer free housing advice. A local law centre can tell you whether you qualify for legal aid — for disrepair, it can be available to make a landlord deal with a serious risk to health or safety, though not normally for a compensation-only claim.

"Disrepair" means problems with your home that your landlord is legally responsible for fixing but hasn't. That can include:

• damp and mould
• leaks from the roof, gutters or pipes
• broken heating or no hot water
• faulty electrics
• rotten or draughty windows and doors
• cracked walls or unsafe floors and stairs.

Is it Eastlight's repair? Eastlight is responsible for most repairs, including the roof, ceilings, heating, wiring and plumbing. Tenants look after some items, such as light bulbs, toilet seats and their own appliances. Its repairs page (opens in new tab) lists who fixes what, and Eastlight may charge for damage beyond normal wear and tear.^[11]

You may have a claim against Eastlight if all of these apply:

1. Eastlight is your landlord. The landlord named on your tenancy agreement is what counts. Eastlight's registered name is Eastlight Community Homes Limited.^[2]
2. Eastlight knew about the problem. Usually that means you reported it — so keep emails, portal messages, photos and repair references.
3. It failed to fix the problem in a reasonable time. What is reasonable depends on the problem; Eastlight's own published timescales, in the FAQs below, are a useful guide.
4. You were affected — your health suffered, belongings were damaged, or part of your home became unusable.

A shared owner or leaseholder? Your lease, not a tenancy agreement, sets out which repairs Eastlight must do. Shelter or Citizens Advice can explain where you stand.

A claim aims to get the work done and to recognise what living with the problem has cost you. Depending on what happened, a claim may cover:

• an order to do the work — a court can require Eastlight to carry out the repairs;
• the impact on daily life — the inconvenience and distress of living with the disrepair;
• harm to health — for example a chest condition made worse by damp and mould;
• ruined belongings — clothes, bedding, carpets or furniture spoiled by damp or leaks;
• rooms you could not use — a bedroom, bathroom or kitchen that was unsafe or unusable.

Nobody can give a reliable figure before looking at the evidence. The value turns on how bad the disrepair was, how long Eastlight took after it knew, and the effect on you and your household.

Compensation through the complaints process is different. Eastlight sometimes offers compensation through its own complaints process. In two leak cases, the Ombudsman found Eastlight's apology and offer put things right, including one where a bedroom ceiling had collapsed.^[5][6] Accepting an offer is your choice. If the problem has gone on a long time, Shelter or Citizens Advice can help you weigh it up.

Step 1 — tell us what's happened. You answer some straightforward questions about the problem, when you reported it to Eastlight, what it did, and how it has affected you. Repair references, photos and Eastlight's Stage One and Stage Two complaint letters all help.

Step 2 — get your free report. We check your answers against the legal tests on this page and give you a written view of whether you may have a claim and how strong it looks. Your first conversation with us is always free.

Step 3 — if your case is strong, we connect you with an independent, regulated law firm — and we will be upfront about that before you commit to anything. The firm advises you, writes to Eastlight formally, and usually arranges an independent survey of your home. Most disrepair cases settle without a court hearing.

A note on time limits. A disrepair claim is normally treated as a contract claim, and because an unfixed repair is usually a continuing breach, a claim can usually reach back six years from when it is issued.^[18] Where part of the claim is for an injury to health, that part usually has a shorter, three-year limit.^[18] Claims take months rather than weeks, so keep reporting repairs while any claim runs.