Repairs and disrepair — whg

Before thinking about any legal claim, report the problem to whg and, if it is not fixed, complain. Both are free, often the fastest way to get repairs done, and create the record a claim relies on later.

Report the repair. Book a repair through your whg online account at manageyourhomeonline.whg.uk.com, email enquiries@whgrp.co.uk, or call 0300 555 6666 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm).^[15] Emergencies — an immediate risk to safety, security or health — go to the same number, day or night. If you smell gas, leave your home and call the free national gas emergency number, 0800 111 999.^[15]

Damp and mould. whg asks you to report it as soon as possible. Where the cause is unclear, it says it usually asks you to follow its damp and mould guide for 28 days, then sends a surveyor if nothing improves.^[18] If it is affecting your health, say so: the Awaab's Law timescales are in the FAQs below.^[25]

Then complain, if it isn't fixed. Use the online form on whg's feedback and complaints page, phone, your online account, or write to 100 Hatherton Street, Walsall, WS1 1AB.^[11] whg's process has two stages:^[11]

• Stage 1 — acknowledged within 5 working days; a response within 10 working days of that.
• Stage 2 — if you are still unhappy, ask as soon as you can: whg's policy says it may refuse a request made more than 28 days after the Stage 1 response. Acknowledged within 5 working days, a response within 20 working days of that.^[11]

Time limits and legal cases. whg's policy does not accept complaints raised more than 12 months after the issue (or after you became aware of it), except in exceptional cases such as safeguarding or health and safety.^[11] Disrepair cases filed at court, and pre-action protocol claims where the tenant refused the complaints process, go through its legal process instead.^[11]

If the complaint doesn't fix it: the Housing Ombudsman. Still unhappy after both stages, or stuck?^[11] The Housing Ombudsman is free and independent, and you can ask it for advice at any point. It can order repairs, an apology and compensation, and takes no share of any award.

Free advice. Shelter and Citizens Advice give free, independent housing advice. A law centre can check whether you qualify for legal aid, which for disrepair covers only serious risks to health or safety.

"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 whg if all of these apply:

1. whg is your landlord. Check your tenancy agreement — the landlord named on it is what counts. whg is the trading name of Walsall Housing Group Limited.^[10]
2. whg knew about the problem. Usually that means you reported it — through your online account, by email or by phone — so keep your repair references, emails, photos and appointment confirmations.
3. It failed to fix the problem in a reasonable time. What is "reasonable" depends on the problem — whg's own published timescales, 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 whg home, you have rights too, though the route is a little different — see the shared-owner and leaseholder question in the FAQs below.

A housing disrepair claim against whg 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 whg 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.

A claim is not the only way to get compensation. The Housing Ombudsman can order it for free: in its 2025-26 whg cases, compensation was the most common type of order, followed by apologies, and it also ordered repairs and staff training.^[4] A court claim usually takes longer and can carry a risk of legal costs.

What a claim is worth can only be assessed from the evidence — see the compensation question in the FAQs.

Step 1 — tell us what's happened. You answer some straightforward questions: what the problem is, when you reported it, what whg 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 we will be upfront about that before you commit to anything. They take it from there: advising you, notifying whg formally, and usually arranging an independent inspection of your home. Most disrepair cases settle without anyone going to court.

whg's own advice. whg's repairs guide says tenants who remain dissatisfied are entitled to take legal action and may be entitled to compensation. It cautions that a solicitor may take a percentage of any compensation, that a tenant who loses is likely to have to pay legal costs, and that some agreements cannot be stopped once signed. It points tenants to Citizens Advice, and asks solicitors to write to its Legal Services team.^[19] Whoever you talk to — us included — make sure you understand what you are agreeing to before you sign anything.

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.^[23] 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.^[23] Even long-running problems can often still be claimed for, but it makes sense to check where you stand rather than assume.

How long a claim takes. Disrepair claims are rarely quick — which is one more reason to complain first and keep the pressure on for repairs while any claim runs.