Do you rent your home from a social landlord?
Council tenants (Newcastle City Council, Your Homes Newcastle) and housing association tenants (Karbon, Home Group, Bernicia, Places for People, Thirteen, and others) are the core group we act for. Private tenants have rights but more limited funding options — see our private tenant page.
Is there a genuine disrepair in your home?
Disrepair means something that affects the structure of the property, the services (heating, electrics, plumbing), or the fitness of the property to live in. Damp, mould, leaks, broken boilers, faulty electrics, pests caused by structural defects, rotting windows and structural cracks all qualify. Cosmetic issues (paint chips, scuffs) generally don't.
Have you reported the problem to your landlord?
Your landlord must have been given the chance to fix the problem. Reporting can be by phone, email, app, in writing, or in person — but you need to be able to show you reported it. If you haven't reported it yet, do so today using our free template letter and then come back to us in 28 days.
Has a reasonable time passed without the issue being fixed?
"Reasonable" depends on severity. 24 hours for a broken boiler in winter. A few days for a serious water leak. 28 days for non-emergency repairs. If the problem was "fixed" but returned, the clock starts again on the new report. Landlords who do repeated patch repairs that don't resolve the issue are also failing to act reasonably.
Have you suffered damage, illness, distress or loss?
A claim needs an impact. Damaged belongings, higher heating bills, asthma symptoms, disrupted sleep, distress at living in the conditions — all count. The more you can document, the stronger the claim.
Got five yeses?
Call us or use the form — we'll give you a realistic assessment and, if we think you have a claim, offer to take it on no win, no fee. If we don't think you have a claim, we'll tell you that on day one, no charge.
Got mostly yeses but one unsure?
Call us anyway. Many tenants under-estimate their reporting history — landlord repair logs usually show more reports than tenants remember. We can request those records under the Pre-Action Protocol.
If you answered no to question 1 or 2.
If you are a private tenant, see our private tenant guide. If you aren't sure whether your issue counts as disrepair, call us — the definition is broader than most people think.