Repairs and disrepair — Jigsaw Homes

Before thinking about any legal claim, report the problem and complain to Jigsaw. 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 need one.

Reporting a repair. Log a repair online through the customer portal at my.jigsawhomes.org.uk. For an emergency repair, call Jigsaw's Connect team on 0300 111 1133 or 0300 011 1144 — the same numbers take emergency calls out of hours.^[9] For damp and mould, contact Jigsaw's Healthy Homes team by email at HealthyHomesTeam@jigsawhomes.org.uk or on 0300 111 1133.^[10]

Making a complaint. Email complaints@jigsawhomes.org.uk, or use the phone and postal routes on Jigsaw's complaints page at jigsawhomes.org.uk/information-article/complaints.^[8]

Jigsaw's complaints process. Jigsaw says it acknowledges a complaint within 5 working days and normally sends a Stage 1 response within 10 working days of that. If you are still unhappy you can ask for a Stage 2 review, by someone who did not handle Stage 1, with a final response normally within 20 working days.^[8]

If the complaint doesn't fix it: the Housing Ombudsman. Once you have been through both stages, you can take the complaint to the Housing Ombudsman. It is free and independent, and you can contact it for help at any point, not just at the end. It can order your landlord to carry out repairs, apologise and pay compensation.

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

Complaining and claiming are not either/or. Complaining first is the right move in almost every case — and if the repairs still don't happen, the record you have built makes any claim stronger, not weaker.

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

• damp and mould
• leaks — from the roof, pipes, or a flat above
• broken heating or no hot water
• rotten or draughty windows and doors
• cracked walls, unsafe ceilings or other structural problems
• faulty electrics.

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

1. A Jigsaw company is your landlord. Your tenancy agreement names it — usually Jigsaw Homes North, Jigsaw Homes Tameside or Jigsaw Homes Midlands. If it names New Charter Homes, Adactus or Gedling Homes, see the question on which Jigsaw company is your landlord.
2. Jigsaw knew about the problem. Usually that means you reported it — so keep your texts, emails, photos and repair reference numbers.
3. It failed to fix the problem in a reasonable time. What is "reasonable" depends on the problem — Jigsaw's own published repair priorities, in the FAQs below, are a good guide.
4. You were affected — for example, your health suffered, your belongings were damaged, or part of your home became unusable.

If you are a shared owner or a leaseholder in a Jigsaw home, you have rights too, though the route is a little different — see the shared-owner question in the FAQs below.

A housing disrepair claim can deal with two things: getting the repairs done, and recognising what living with the problem has cost you. Depending on your situation, a claim may cover:

• the repairs themselves — a court can order Jigsaw to carry out the work;
• inconvenience and distress — compensation may be sought for the disruption of living with the problem;
• effects on health — for example where damp and mould have made a breathing condition worse;
• damaged belongings — clothes, furniture, carpets or electronics ruined by damp, mould or leaks;
• loss of use of part of your home — such as a bedroom or bathroom you could not safely use.

Jigsaw may put some of this right without a claim. Its repairs page says that where disrepair damages your decoration, it will either redecorate or offer a decoration allowance, confirmed in writing.^[9]

Every case is different, and no reliable figure can be put on a claim before the evidence has been looked at. A proper assessment starts from your record: what was reported, when, and what happened next.

Step 1 — tell us what's happened. You answer some straightforward questions: what the problem is, when you reported it, what Jigsaw did (or didn't do), and how it has affected your household. Photos, repair references and complaint responses all help.

Step 2 — get your free report. We assess your answers against the legal tests on this page and give you a clear 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 if your case needs a solicitor, we will be upfront about that before you commit to anything. They take it from there: advising you, notifying Jigsaw formally, and usually arranging an independent inspection of your home. Most disrepair cases settle without anyone going to court.

A note on time limits. A disrepair claim is normally treated as a contract claim, with a limitation period of six years from when the landlord should have fixed the problem.^[12] Where part of the claim is for an injury to health — damp-related breathing problems, for instance — that element usually carries a shorter, three-year limit instead.^[12] Even long-running problems can often still be claimed for, but it makes sense to check where you stand rather than assume. Disrepair claims usually take months rather than weeks to resolve — one more reason to complain first and keep the pressure on for repairs while any claim runs.