Repairs and disrepair — PA Housing

Before thinking about any legal claim, complain to PA Housing. It is free, you can do it yourself, and it is often the fastest way to get repairs moving.

Report the repair. Tell PA Housing about the problem and keep the reference number:^[16]

• Online: through your My PA account (opens in new tab).^[16]
• By phone: 0300 123 2221. Out of hours, its partner Service 24 takes emergency repair calls. PA Housing recommends phoning in an emergency.^[16]
• Damp and mould: by phone on the same number, or by email to mould@pahousing.co.uk, as its damp and mould page (opens in new tab) sets out.^[16]

Leaks were among the most common subjects of the Housing Ombudsman's findings about PA Housing in 2025-26, so report a leak as a repair straight away.^[3]

How PA Housing's complaints process works. Complain through the online form on PA Housing's complaints page (opens in new tab), by phone, by letter or through My PA.^[11] The process has two stages:^[12]

• Stage 1: PA Housing acknowledges your complaint within 5 working days, then aims to respond within 10 working days of that.^[12]
• Stage 2: if you are still unhappy, ask for a review. A different complaints specialist handles it, and PA Housing aims to give a final response within 20 working days of acknowledging it.^[12]

PA Housing can take longer on a complex case, but says it will explain why and keep you updated.^[12] If you live in the London Borough of Richmond, you can also ask the borough's Tenants' Champion for help, as PA Housing's complaints page sets out.^[11]

If the complaint doesn't fix it: the Housing Ombudsman. If you are still unhappy after both stages — or your complaint is not progressing — you can take it to the Housing Ombudsman. The free, independent service can also advise you at any point. It can order your landlord to carry out repairs, apologise and pay you compensation.

Free advice. Shelter and Citizens Advice offer free housing advice, and a local law centre can tell you whether you qualify for legal aid. For disrepair, legal aid can be available where there is 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 PA Housing if all of these apply:

1. PA Housing is your landlord. Your tenancy agreement may name Paragon Asra Housing Limited, or an older name such as Paragon, asra or Leicester Housing Association — the landlord is still PA Housing.^[1]
2. PA Housing knew about the problem. Usually that means you reported it — so your texts, emails, photos and repair reference numbers matter. Keep them.
3. It failed to fix the problem in a reasonable time. What is "reasonable" depends on the problem. PA Housing's own repair targets are in the FAQs below.
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 PA Housing home, you have rights too, though the route is different — see the shared-owner question in the FAQs below, which applies to leaseholders too.

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 PA Housing 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.

Complaint compensation is not the same thing. PA Housing's compensation policy is for putting things right where its service has fallen short. Its complaints page says it does not make legal findings of liability, or award damages the way a court does.^[11]

Every case is different, and no reliable figure can be put on a claim before the evidence has been looked at. An 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 first reported it to PA Housing, what it did (or didn't do), and how it has affected your household. Photos, your repair history in My PA and any 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. 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 PA Housing formally, and usually arranging an independent inspection of your home. PA Housing asks for disrepair claims to go to a dedicated legal disrepair inbox, listed on its repairs page.^[16] Most disrepair cases settle without anyone going to court.

A note on time limits. Legal time limits apply to disrepair claims. A disrepair claim is normally a contract claim, and the usual limit is six years.^[19] 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.^[19] So a long-running problem can often still be claimed for — check where you stand rather than assume it is too late. A claim usually takes months rather than weeks, so keep reporting the repair and pressing your complaint while it runs.