Repairs and disrepair — Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Before thinking about any legal claim, complain to the council. 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.

Report the repair itself first. You can report a repair to the council's repairs service online or by phone, and there is a free out-of-hours emergency line — 0800 844 112 — for emergencies such as a total loss of power, water or heating outside normal hours.^[8] If reporting has not fixed the problem, make a formal housing complaint.

Sandwell's complaints process. The council runs a two-stage complaints process, and says it follows the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code.^[7] The Code requires a landlord to answer a stage 1 complaint within 10 working days of acknowledging it, and — if you are unhappy with that answer and ask for a stage 2 review, looked at by a more senior officer — to answer that within 20 working days.^[7] If the council tells you a different timescale for your complaint, ask it to put that in writing.

If the complaint doesn't fix it: the Housing Ombudsman. If you have been through the council's process and are still unhappy — or the council is not progressing your complaint — 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. It can order your landlord to carry out repairs, apologise and pay you compensation — and nobody takes a fee or a share of anything it awards you. Shelter and Citizens Advice both offer free housing advice, and a local law centre can tell you whether you qualify for legal aid.

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.

If you rent from Sandwell Council and are living with damp, mould, leaks or repairs that never seem to get done, you have legal rights. If the council knew about a problem and failed to fix it in a reasonable time, you may have a disrepair claim.

"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 Sandwell Council if all of these apply:

1. Sandwell Council is your landlord — you are a council tenant (if you rent from a housing association or a private landlord, your claim is against them, not the council).
2. The council knew about the problem. Usually that means you reported it — so your texts, emails, photos, and repair reference numbers are the evidence that matters. Keep them.
3. It failed to fix the problem in a reasonable time. What is "reasonable" depends on the problem — Sandwell's published repair targets, in the repairs FAQ, are a good guide.^[8]
4. You were affected — for example, your health suffered, your belongings were damaged, or part of your home became unusable.

Leaseholders of council-owned buildings have rights too — the route is a little different from a tenant's disrepair claim.

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 the council 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 say what a claim is worth before looking at the evidence. 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 the council 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. They advise you, notify the council formally, and usually arrange an independent inspection of your home — and we will be upfront before you commit to anything. 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.^[9] If a claim includes compensation for injury to health — for example a breathing condition made worse by damp and mould — that part usually has a shorter, three-year limit.^[9] Even long-running problems can often still be claimed for, but 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.