Repairs and disrepair — L&Q
If you rent from L&Q and are living with damp, mould, leaks or disrepair, you may have grounds for a compensation claim. In August 2025 the Regulator of Social Housing gave L&Q a C2 consumer grade and lowered its governance grade to G2.[1] The Housing Ombudsman has also examined L&Q's handling of repairs and complaints in depth.[7]
The fastest free route is usually to complain to L&Q first. Checking whether you may have a claim is also free, and you commit to nothing by asking.
Could you have a disrepair claim against L&Q?
"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 L&Q if all of these apply:
- L&Q is your landlord. Check your tenancy agreement — the landlord named on it is what counts. L&Q has grown by merger, so if you were once a tenant of East Thames or Trafford Housing Trust, your home may now be part of the L&Q group.[4] One name to watch for: L&Q is not the same organisation as Legal & General Affordable Homes — if you are unsure, see the "Is L&Q my landlord?" question in the FAQ below.[6]
- L&Q knew about the problem. Usually that means you reported it — so your texts, emails, photos, and repair reference numbers are gold. Keep them.
- It failed to fix the problem in a reasonable time. What is "reasonable" depends on the problem — L&Q's own published timescales, lower down this page, are a good guide.
- You were affected — for example, your health suffered, your belongings were damaged, or part of your home became unusable.
Shared owners and leaseholders in an L&Q building have rights too, though the route differs — see the shared-owner question in the FAQ below.
Complain to L&Q first — and build your record
Before thinking about any legal claim, complain to L&Q. It is free, you do not need anyone to do it for you, and it is often the fastest way to get repairs moving. It also creates a written record of what you reported and when — which is exactly the evidence a claim relies on later, if you need one.
How L&Q's process works. L&Q runs a two-stage complaints process under the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code. It says it will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days. At stage 1, it aims to give you a resolution within 10 working days. If you ask for a stage 2 review, it says you will receive a response within 20 working days. You can complain online or by phone on 0300 456 9996.[11]
If the complaint doesn't fix it: the Housing Ombudsman. If you have been through L&Q's two stages and are still unhappy — or your complaint is not progressing — you can take it to the Housing Ombudsman. The service is free and independent, and you can contact it for advice at any point, not just at the end.[11] The Ombudsman can order your landlord to carry out repairs, apologise, and pay you compensation, and you do not need a claims company or a solicitor to use it. Compensation figures on this page are Ombudsman-ordered amounts, not claims-company payouts.
If you want free, independent advice at any point, 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.
What a disrepair claim can cover
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 L&Q 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.
Every case is different, and no honest adviser can tell you what a claim is worth before looking at your evidence — so we won't. What we can do is assess your situation properly and tell you, plainly, whether it looks strong.
What happens if you start a claim
Step 1 — tell us what's happened. You answer some straightforward questions: what the problem is, when you reported it, what L&Q 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. If your case needs a solicitor, we connect you with an independent, regulated law firm — and we will be upfront about that before you commit to anything. They take it from there: advising you, notifying L&Q 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.[15] 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.[15] Even long-running problems can often still be claimed for, but it makes sense to check where you stand rather than assume. Go in with a realistic timescale, too: disrepair claims usually take months rather than weeks to resolve, and some take longer — which is one more reason to complain first and keep the pressure on for repairs while any claim runs.
Living with disrepair in a L&Q home?
Tell us what's happening in your home and we'll help you work out the right next step.
Frequently asked questions
Yes — if L&Q is your landlord, it knew about the damp or mould (usually because you reported it), and it failed to put things right in a reasonable time, you may be able to bring a housing disrepair claim. Housing associations owe the same repair duties as councils: section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 covers your home's structure and essential installations, your home must be kept fit for human habitation, and since 27 October 2025 the first phase of Awaab's Law has set binding timescales for social landlords to investigate and fix damp and mould hazards. Complain to L&Q first — it's free, and it builds the written record any claim relies on.
L&Q is the trading name of London & Quadrant Housing Trust, a charitable housing association. Two things are worth checking if you are not sure. First, L&Q is a different organisation from Legal & General Affordable Homes — the names look similar, but they are separate registered providers, and nothing on this page about L&Q applies to Legal & General Affordable Homes. Second, L&Q has grown by merger, so if you were once a tenant of East Thames (2016) or Trafford Housing Trust (2019), your landlord may now be L&Q or a company within its group. The surest check is your tenancy agreement and who you pay your rent to — the landlord named there is the one your repair rights are against.
The Housing Ombudsman has examined L&Q's handling of repairs and complaints in detail: it published a special report on L&Q in July 2023, after concerns about complaints and disrepair, and its most recent annual performance report set out L&Q's maladministration rate against the national rate. L&Q has said it recognises it got things wrong and points to a major works programme in its existing homes and its Healthy Homes damp-and-mould work. The full figures and findings are on our main L&Q page.
L&Q's published targets are to attend an emergency repair within 24 hours, arrange a non-emergency appointment within 5 working days and aim to complete it within 20 working days, and complete complex repairs such as roofing that needs scaffolding within 40 working days. For damp and mould, Awaab's Law also sets binding statutory deadlines: since 27 October 2025 a social landlord must investigate within 10 working days, give you a written summary within 3 working days, and make a significant hazard safe within 5 working days — with emergency hazards investigated and made safe within 24 hours.
C2 is a consumer grade from the Regulator of Social Housing, on a scale that runs from C1 (the strongest) to C4 — awarded to L&Q in August 2025 in its first consumer grading. The regulator's full findings on L&Q's repairs and damp and mould, and its governance and financial viability grades, are on our main L&Q page. Grades are reviewed and can change.
In practice, yes — and it genuinely helps you. Courts expect both sides to have tried to sort the problem out before a claim is issued, and your complaint creates the dated paper trail a claim relies on. L&Q runs a two-stage process — the timescales are under "Complain to L&Q first" above. If the complaint doesn't fix things, the Housing Ombudsman is free and independent — and a disrepair claim stays open to you throughout. Complaining first isn't a detour; it's the foundation.
Not to start with — and, for compensation, not necessarily at all. You can report repairs, complain to L&Q, and take your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman yourself, all for free — and the Ombudsman can order L&Q to carry out repairs, apologise and pay compensation, with no fee to pay and nobody taking a share of anything it awards. A disrepair claim through the courts is a different route: it is normally done through a solicitor, and it may be worth considering where serious disrepair has gone on for a long time or the free routes have not put things right. Remedy Legal is not a law firm: we check whether you may have a claim, and if your case is strong, we connect you with an independent, regulated law firm.
Partly, and it's important to know the differences. Shared ownership is a lease, and who is responsible for which repairs depends on the terms of your lease — often you carry more of the repair responsibility than a renting tenant does. Awaab's Law does not apply to shared ownership homes. But you are not without options: you can use L&Q's complaints process and go to the Housing Ombudsman, and depending on your lease and the nature of the problem — for example, structural or communal defects in a block — a claim may still be possible.
There is no fixed amount, and you should be cautious of anyone who quotes you a figure before seeing your evidence. What compensation may be sought for depends on how serious the disrepair was, how long it went on after L&Q knew, how it affected your household's health and daily life, and what belongings were damaged. The honest answer is that it has to be assessed case by case.
No — complaining, going to the Ombudsman, or bringing a disrepair claim should not put your tenancy at risk. Most housing association tenants are assured tenants, which means L&Q could only evict through a court, on legal grounds — and asking your landlord to meet its legal repair duties is not one of them. Complaining is a formal right under L&Q's own published complaints process. Keep everything in writing, keep your reference numbers, and don't be put off.
About this data
Information on this page was last checked on 25 July 2026. Regulatory grades and Ombudsman figures are correct as at the dates shown against each figure and may have changed since. Grades are reviewed and may change.
We aim for accuracy. If you represent this landlord or spot something out of date, contact legal@remedylegal.ai and we will review it promptly.
Remedy Legal is not a law firm and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. We do not carry out reserved legal activities or act as your legal representative. If your case needs a solicitor, we can connect you with an independent, regulated law firm.
Sources
- London & Quadrant Housing Trust (L4517) — Regulatory Judgement: 27 August 2025 (opens in new tab) — Regulator of Social Housing (GOV.UK). Checked 25 July 2026; data as at 27 August 2025.
- London & Quadrant Housing Trust (Registered Society No 30441R) (opens in new tab) — FCA Mutuals Public Register. Checked 25 July 2026.
- About L&Q (opens in new tab) — L&Q. Checked 25 July 2026.
- L&Q and Trafford Housing Trust join together (opens in new tab) — L&Q. Checked 25 July 2026.
- Our history (opens in new tab) — L&Q. Checked 25 July 2026.
- Legal & General Affordable Homes Limited (5062) — Regulatory Judgement: 25 September 2024 (opens in new tab) — Regulator of Social Housing (GOV.UK). Checked 25 July 2026; data as at 25 September 2024.
- Housing Ombudsman Special Report on London and Quadrant (opens in new tab) — Housing Ombudsman Service. Checked 11 July 2026; data as at 27 July 2023.
- Landlord Performance Report 2024/25: London & Quadrant Housing Trust (L&Q) (opens in new tab) — Housing Ombudsman Service. Checked 11 July 2026; data as at 31 March 2025.
- Annual Complaints Review 2024-25 (sector-wide, incl. the national maladministration rate) (opens in new tab) — Housing Ombudsman Service. Checked 25 July 2026; data as at 31 March 2025.
- Healthy Homes (opens in new tab) — L&Q. Checked 25 July 2026.
- Complaints (opens in new tab) — L&Q. Checked 25 July 2026.
- Repairs and maintenance (opens in new tab) — L&Q. Checked 25 July 2026.
- Tenant Satisfaction Measures: overall satisfaction (opens in new tab) — L&Q. Checked 25 July 2026; data as at 31 March 2025.
- Tenant Satisfaction Measures 2024/25: headline report (official statistics) (opens in new tab) — Regulator of Social Housing (GOV.UK). Checked 25 July 2026; data as at 31 March 2025.
- Limitation Act 1980 (c. 58), section 5 (time limit for actions founded on simple contract) (opens in new tab) — legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives). Checked 20 July 2026.
- Limitation Act 1980 (c. 58), section 11 (special time limit for actions in respect of personal injuries) (opens in new tab) — legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives). Checked 20 July 2026.
- The Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/1042) (opens in new tab) — legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives). Checked 10 July 2026; data as at 27 October 2025.
- Awaab's Law: guidance for social landlords — Timeframes for repairs in the social rented sector (opens in new tab) — GOV.UK (MHCLG). Checked 10 July 2026; data as at 27 October 2025.
- Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, section 42 (inserting s.10A LTA 1985) (opens in new tab) — legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives). Checked 10 July 2026.