News & advice
73 plain-English guides on your rights and how to claim, grouped by theme. Updated as the law and the data move.
Awaab's Law
The law that gives social landlords strict deadlines for damp, mould, and emergency hazards.
Awaab's Law: the first months, and what the one-year mark will test
Awaab's Law came in on 27 October 2025. Here is what the early months suggest for tenants, and what the one-year point in October 2026 will really test.
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Awaab's Law and Emergency Repairs: What the 24-Hour Deadline Means for Tenants
Awaab's Law gives social landlords 24 hours to investigate and make safe an emergency hazard. That has put real pressure on out-of-hours repair teams. Here is what tenants should expect.
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Awaab's Law Phase 2 Is Coming: Which Landlords Are Most Exposed
Phase 2 of Awaab's Law lands in October 2026, extending statutory deadlines to excess cold, excess heat, fire safety, hygiene hazards, and structural collapse. Here is what it covers and which kinds of landlords are most exposed.
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Many Social Landlords Say They Are Not Fully Ready for Awaab's Law. Here Is What That Means for Tenants
Recent industry survey work suggests many social housing providers do not feel fully prepared for Awaab's Law. Here is what that tells tenants and how it changes the playbook for getting a hazard fixed.
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Awaab Ishak's family: the case that changed UK housing law
In December 2020 a two-year-old boy died from mould exposure in a Rochdale flat. His parents had been reporting it for years. The law that bears his name is the result.
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Awaab's Law: Private Sector Extension Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 paves the way to extend Awaab's Law-style repair deadlines to private renters in England, on a timetable the government is still confirming. Here is what private tenants need to know.
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Awaab's Law: Six Months In, Named Landlords and What We Have Learned
Six months after Awaab's Law came into force, the regulator has named landlords with serious failings and the new repair timescales are starting to bite. Here is what has emerged and what tenants should take from it.
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Awaab's Law: Three Months In
Awaab's Law came into force on 27 October 2025 for social landlords in England. Three months on, here is what has changed in practice, and what has not.
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The law and your rights
What the law says, what is changing, and the rights you have as a tenant.
Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985: What Your Landlord Must Repair
Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 sets out the repairs every landlord on a short-term tenancy must carry out. Here is what it covers, what it does not, and how to use it.
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Disabled Adaptations and Disrepair: Your Rights as a Disabled Tenant
Disabled tenants have extra rights when a home is in disrepair or needs adaptation. Here is what the Equality Act, Disabled Facilities Grants and the HHSRS actually give you.
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No Heating or Hot Water: Your Rights as a Tenant
Boiler broken or heating off for days? What the law says your landlord must do, what counts as an emergency repair, and the steps to take if they ignore you.
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Renters' Rights Act 2025 in Force: What Actually Changed on Day One
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026. Section 21 is banned, periodic tenancies are the new default, and the Decent Homes Standard is on its way to private rented stock. Here is what shifted on day one and what private tenants should know.
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The Decent Homes Standard is Coming to Private Rentals: What Private Tenants Get
The Decent Homes Standard has applied to social housing since 2006. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 paves the way to extend it to private rented homes, on a timetable the government is still confirming. Here is what 'decent' means and what private tenants can do now.
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Renters' Rights Act 2025: what changes for tenants in May 2026
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 finally comes into force. Section 21 'no fault' eviction is banned. Periodic tenancies. Pet rights. Disrepair powers extended to PRS. What it means.
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Right to Buy and housing disrepair: can you claim if you're buying?
The Right to Buy is being phased back. If you've started the process and your council ignored repairs, you can still claim, and you should know how before completion.
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What Counts as an Emergency Repair? (England & Wales)
Emergency hazards must be investigated within 24 hours under Awaab's Law. Significant hazards must be investigated within 10 working days, then completed within 5 working days of the investigation ending. Here is the full breakdown.
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Can I Withhold Rent If My Home Is in Disrepair?
In England, never withhold rent, it puts you in arrears and at real risk of eviction. In Wales there is a narrow supplementary-term route under the 2016 Act, but take proper advice first. Here is the safe alternative.
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Can My Landlord Evict Me for Complaining About Disrepair?
Retaliatory eviction is restricted by law in England and Wales. Social tenants have strong security of tenure; private tenants are protected too, and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 strengthens those rights further.
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Tenants' Rights When There Is No Hot Water (England & Wales)
No hot water in your rented home? Your landlord has a legal duty to keep the water heating installation in working order, and to act quickly. Here is what your rights are and what to do.
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Tenants' Rights When There Is Damp and Mould (England & Wales)
If you are dealing with damp and mould in a rented home in England or Wales, your landlord has a legal duty to fix it. Here is exactly what your rights are and what to do next.
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Specific problems
Guides to the most common, and most serious, problems tenants face.
Is Damp and Mould Making Your Child Ill?
Worried your child's cough, wheeze or rash is linked to mould at home? The symptoms to watch for, what the law says your landlord must do, and how to get free, independent advice.
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My Landlord Says the Damp Is My Fault. Is That True?
Been told it is just condensation, or that you caused the damp? The legal difference between structural damp and condensation, and how to prove it is not your fault.
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Mice, Rats or Cockroaches in Your Rented Home: What Are Your Rights?
Dealing with an infestation your landlord keeps ignoring? When pests are your landlord's responsibility, what counts as proof, and how to make a housing disrepair claim.
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Leaks and Water Damage in a Rented Home: Your Rights
Water coming through the ceiling, a leaking pipe, or damp spreading from a roof fault? When a leak is your landlord's responsibility, what to do, and how to claim.
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Electrical Hazards in a Rented Home: Your Rights as a Tenant
Tripping fuses, scorch marks or exposed wiring in your rented home? Your landlord's electrical safety duties, the warning signs, and what to do if they ignore you.
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Damp in Pre-1939 Terraced Housing: What Surveyors Actually Look For
Pre-1939 terraces account for a disproportionate share of damp-related disrepair claims. Here is what surveyors check, why the construction makes it worse, and what counts as evidence.
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High-Rise Window Safety: What Recent Child Deaths Mean for Landlord Responsibility
Two children died falling from upper-floor flats in 2024. Window safety is now a named regulatory priority. Here is what it means in law, and what tenants can do today.
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Cladding Remediation in 2026: Where the Money Went and What Tenants Are Owed
Nine years on from Grenfell, the cladding remediation programme has spent billions but left thousands of social tenants still living in unsafe blocks. Here is the 2026 status and what tenants can do.
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Damp vs mould: knowing the difference (and what your landlord owes you)
Penetrating damp, rising damp, condensation, black mould, they're caused by different things and your landlord's duties differ. Plain-English guide.
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Spray foam insulation: the new mortgage-killer for social tenants
Spray foam loft insulation was installed in hundreds of thousands of homes under government grant schemes. Mortgage lenders now refuse properties with it. Here's what that means if you rent.
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Tenants' Rights for Rat Infestations (England & Wales)
If there are rats in your rented home, your landlord usually has a legal duty to deal with the cause and the infestation. Here is how the law works and what to do step by step.
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Making a claim
How compensation works, how to escalate, and what good evidence looks like.
The Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims (England): What Tenants Should Know
Before a housing disrepair claim goes to court in England, both sides must follow the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims. Here is what it requires and what it means for you.
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Evidence Checklist for a Housing Disrepair Claim
A practical checklist for a housing disrepair claim: what photos to take, how to write a complaint letter, which medical and council records help, and what we do with it.
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How Long Does a Housing Disrepair Claim Take?
Wondering how long a housing disrepair claim takes? What affects the timeline, the typical stages, and what you can do to help it move faster.
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How to escalate a housing complaint when your landlord ignores you
The 4-stage escalation route from informal complaint to court. Free options, paid options, and the deadlines that apply at each stage.
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Does a doctor's letter help your housing disrepair claim?
Bad housing can cause real clinical harm. Here is what a doctor's letter adds to a housing disrepair claim, and how to ask your doctor for the right kind of letter.
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What an FCA-regulated CMC actually does (and doesn't)
Claims management companies have a bad reputation. Here's what we're actually for, what regulation we're under, and when not to use us.
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How to Write a Complaint Letter to Your Housing Association
A complaint letter to your housing association needs five things: a clear subject, dates, what the landlord has not done, what you want, and a deadline. Step by step with a free letter builder.
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How Much Compensation for Damp and Mould in the UK?
Damp and mould compensation in England and Wales typically falls between £3,000 and £15,000, calculated partly as 25-50% of rent paid during the affected period. Here is how awards are worked out and what affects the figure.
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Housing disrepair in your city
The local picture for tenants across England and Wales.
Housing disrepair in London: a 2026 crisis no tenant should face alone
32 London boroughs, hundreds of thousands of social tenants, growing complaint caseloads. Why London is the UK's housing disrepair frontline in 2026 and what your rights are.
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Birmingham housing disrepair: how the UK's second-largest city is failing its tenants
Birmingham City Council houses tens of thousands of tenants. Recent independent findings show systemic repair failures. Here's what tenants can do under Awaab's Law.
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Manchester housing disrepair: why tenants in 2026 deserve more
Manchester City Council and major housing associations face mounting Awaab's Law scrutiny. Here's what tenants are entitled to and how to claim.
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Leeds housing disrepair in 2026: what tenants need to know
Leeds City Council and major Yorkshire associations face the same scrutiny under Awaab's Law. Here's the picture in Leeds for council and HA tenants.
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Liverpool housing disrepair: the 2026 picture
Liverpool's social housing is dominated by Riverside, Torus, Onward and Plus Dane. Here's what tenants need to know about their rights.
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Newcastle housing disrepair: the 2026 picture in the North East
Newcastle's ALMO Your Homes Newcastle plus Karbon, Bernicia, Thirteen, Gentoo, Believe Housing face the same Awaab's Law standards. Tenant rights explained.
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Bristol housing disrepair: the 2026 reality
Bristol has one of England's tightest housing markets. For social tenants reporting disrepair, here's what's changed in 2026 under Awaab's Law.
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Cardiff housing disrepair: contract holders' rights under Welsh law
Wales operates under different housing law than England. Cardiff contract holders have specific rights, here's what you need to know in 2026.
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Landlords in the news
Regulator gradings and mergers, and what they mean if this is your landlord.
Bromford, Flagship and LiveWest: The 120,000-Home Merger Explained
Bromford, Flagship and LiveWest have merged to form one of England's largest housing associations, with around 120,000 homes across the Midlands, East and South West. Here is what tenants need to know.
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Codi: What the Pobl and Linc Cymru Merger Means for Welsh Contract Holders
Pobl Group and Linc Cymru have merged to form Codi, creating one of the largest housing associations in Wales. Here is what changes, and what stays the same, if you are a contract holder.
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Anchor Hanover Downgraded to G3/C3: What It Means for Older Tenants
In June 2025 the Regulator of Social Housing downgraded Anchor Hanover, England's largest provider of housing for older people, to G3 governance and C3 consumer grades over electrical safety and complaints failings. Here is what it means if you or a relative rents from them.
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Hedyn: Newport City Homes and Melin Merger Explained
Newport City Homes and Melin Homes have merged to form Hedyn, one of South Wales' largest housing associations. Here is what changes for contract holders, and what stays the same.
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Notting Hill Genesis G3 Governance Downgrade: What Tenants Need to Know
In November 2024 the Regulator of Social Housing downgraded Notting Hill Genesis to a G3 governance rating after serious concerns about board oversight of health and safety. Here is what it means if you are an NHG tenant.
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Newham Council's C4 Grade: What It Means for Tenants
Newham Council became the first social landlord in England to receive the Regulator of Social Housing's lowest possible C4 grade in October 2024. Here is what that means if you are a Newham tenant, and what you can do about it.
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Policy and research
The bigger picture: official data and the push for better housing.
The 2024-25 English Housing Survey: the damp and non-decent homes numbers
The government's English Housing Survey 2024-25 shows 4 million homes still fail the Decent Homes Standard and damp has risen. Here is what the figures mean for tenants, in plain English.
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MPs are investigating the state of social and rented housing. What it means for tenants
A House of Commons committee is examining housing conditions in the social and private rented sectors. Here is what the inquiry is looking at and why it matters if your home is in disrepair.
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Temporary Accommodation: 104 Child Deaths and a Government Failure to Act
MPs are demanding action after new data linked 104 child deaths to England's temporary accommodation crisis. Here is what the data shows and what tenants in TA can do.
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Early Warning Signs Your Landlord Should Not Ignore (Damp, Mould and Hazards)
Landlords are expected to act on the early warning signs of damp, mould and other hazards, not wait for a formal complaint. Here are the signs, and how spotting them in your case strengthens a claim.
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More
Decent Homes Standard: what it means for private tenants in 2026
The Decent Homes Standard is not yet law for private renters in England as of June 2026. Here is what it covers and your options now if your home is unsafe.
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Housing Ombudsman spotlight reports: what the data says about damp and mould complaints in 2026
What the Housing Ombudsman's damp and mould reports reveal about social landlord failings in England, and what to expect before you complain.
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Renters' Rights Act 2025: what's in force, what isn't, and when
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 is being switched on in stages. Here is what is in force in England, what is not yet, and what it means for you now.
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Defective Premises Act 1972: when your landlord is liable for communal areas and structural damage
Section 4 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 gives tenants and visitors a right to claim when landlords fail in their duty of care over areas they control. Here is how it works.
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HHSRS Category 1 Hazards: What Councils Must Do By Law
If a council finds a Category 1 hazard in your home under HHSRS, it has a legal duty to act. Here is what that means, how long it takes, and what to do if nothing happens.
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Taking your landlord to court without a solicitor: the small claims route
You can take a housing disrepair case to the small claims court yourself for claims up to £10,000. Here is a practical guide to how the process works and when it is the right choice.
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What a housing disrepair solicitor actually does (and what you pay)
A transparent guide to what an SRA-regulated housing disrepair solicitor does, how no win no fee works in practice, and what to check before signing up with any firm.
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Housing Ombudsman Annual Report 2025: complaint volumes at a record high
The Housing Ombudsman's 2025 annual report shows complaint volumes in social housing at a record high. Here is what the figures mean for tenants and what you can do if your landlord has let you down.
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Housing Ombudsman vs a civil disrepair claim: which route is right for you?
Social tenants can go to the Housing Ombudsman or bring a civil disrepair claim. Private tenants only have the civil route. Here is how to choose, and why doing both is often the right answer.
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Criminal penalties for landlords who ignore repairs: what changed in 2026
The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 gives the Regulator of Social Housing new powers to fine and prosecute landlords. Here is what the enforcement regime means for tenants and how to report a landlord.
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Frozen housing benefit rates and disrepair: what tenants need to know
Local Housing Allowance rates have not kept pace with rents for years. If your home is also in disrepair, the financial pressure is compounded. Here is what you can do.
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Private Rented Sector Ombudsman 2026: What We Know So Far
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 creates a new PRS Ombudsman. All private landlords in England must join. Here is what it will cover and what it will not replace.
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Right to Buy in England: changes in 2026 and what they mean for tenants
The government has significantly changed Right to Buy in England, reducing discounts and extending the qualifying period. Here is what the changes mean for council tenants and how disrepair rights are unaffected.
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Section 21 Ban: One Month In
Section 21 no-fault evictions were banned in May 2026. One month on, here is what has changed for private tenants in England, and what has not.
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Awaab's Law at six months: what social tenants are telling us
Awaab's Law came into force on 27 October 2025. Six months later, we are hearing more from social tenants about how their landlords are actually responding,
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The Renters' Rights Act and repairs: what has actually changed for tenants?
Most of the attention on the Renters' Rights Act 2025 has focused on Section 21 abolition. That change, ending no-fault evictions for private tenants, is
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