No heating or hot water for days, and still no sign of an engineer? We help council and housing association tenants in London press their landlord for a proper repair and seek compensation where they’re entitled to it. There’s nothing to pay us to get started. Eligible claims may be handled on a no win, no fee basis, subject to our assessment and the terms of the funding agreement.
Smell gas or suspect carbon monoxide? Leave the property and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Don’t go back in until it’s safe, and get urgent medical help if anyone feels unwell.
You may have grounds for a claim if:
A fault that’s fixed quickly may not support a claim on its own. Repeated breakdowns, how long each delay lasted and the effect on your household all count.
Check If You Can ClaimThe answer depends on who your landlord is.
If you’re a secure council tenant, the Right to Repair scheme covers qualifying urgent repairs costing up to £250. A total or partial loss of heating or hot water must be fixed within 1 working day from 1 November to 30 April, and 3 working days from 1 May to 31 October.
There are exceptions, such as when special parts must be ordered, but if the deadline is missed you can ask the council to send a different contractor.
Each housing association sets its own repair timescales. Many treat a complete loss of heating or hot water as an emergency, especially in winter, so check your landlord’s repairs policy and keep a note of the date you reported the fault.
A temporary heater can help you get by while a repair is arranged, but it’s a stopgap rather than a fix.
From 30 November 2026, Awaab’s Law is due to require social landlords in England to deal with significant excess cold hazards within fixed timescales, although not every heating fault will fall within these rules.
Where a boiler or heating system has been patched up again and again, a claim can press for a lasting repair. Depending on the fault, that could mean replacing parts, or a new system if the circumstances justify it.
You may be able to claim for the period you went without adequate heating or hot water, and for the way it disrupted everyday life, from washing to keeping children warm. If the cold affected anyone’s health, that can be considered too, with medical evidence.
Running electric heaters, boiling kettles for washing or paying to wash elsewhere all cost money. Reasonable extra costs linked to the disrepair can be claimed where you have evidence, such as energy bills or receipts.
How much a heating claim is worth varies from case to case. The length of time without heat, the time of year and who in your home was affected all make a difference.
Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, your landlord must keep the installations that heat your home and your water in repair and proper working order.
Separately, sections 9A–9C, added by the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, require your home to be fit to live in, and a home that can’t be kept adequately warm may fall short of that. Excess cold is also one of the hazards councils assess under the Housing Act 2004.
Gas safety: Where your landlord provides gas appliances, the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 require a safety check of those appliances and their flues every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer, at no cost to you. You’re entitled to a copy of the record within 28 days of the check.
In Wales: the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 sets similar repair and fitness duties.
Tell us when the problem started, what you’ve reported and how often it has happened. We’ll tell you whether it’s worth taking further and what would happen next.
Housing Disrepair Solicitors is a trading name of SLS Solicitors Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA number 813100).
