When your landlord ignores repairs, delays work, or gives poor excuses, it can be hard to know what to do next. Some tenants think they should complain to the Housing Ombudsman. Others hear about making a housing disrepair claim.
Both routes can help, but they are not the same.
The right option depends on who your landlord is, how serious the problem is, what outcome you want, and whether you need repairs, compensation, or both.
Use the Housing Ombudsman if you rent from a council or housing association and you want an independent review of how your landlord handled your complaint.
Use a housing disrepair claim if your landlord knew about the repair problem, failed to fix it in a reasonable time, and you want legal action to get repairs completed or claim compensation.
In some cases, tenants may use both routes at different stages.
The Housing Ombudsman looks at complaints about social landlords, such as councils and housing associations. Some private landlords may also be covered if they are members of the scheme. Tenants can usually go to the Ombudsman after using the landlord’s formal complaints process first. The landlord must acknowledge a stage 1 complaint within 5 working days and send a written response within 10 working days after acknowledgement. At stage 2, the landlord must acknowledge the escalation within 5 working days and send a response within 20 working days after acknowledgement.
The Ombudsman can look at things like:
This route can be useful if your landlord keeps saying they followed the correct process, but you believe they ignored you or treated the repair complaint badly.
A housing disrepair claim is a legal route for tenants living with repair problems that the landlord has failed to fix after being told.
This may include damp, mould, leaks, broken heating, unsafe electrics, plumbing problems, damaged windows, pest issues, or structural defects.
A claim can help tenants ask for:
The official Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims says the process applies to poor housing conditions in England, where the landlord knows about the conditions but the matter remains unresolved.
The Housing Ombudsman mainly reviews the landlord’s service, complaint handling, and fairness.
A housing disrepair claim focuses on legal responsibility, repair failure, evidence, and compensation.
Here is the simple difference:
Housing Ombudsman: “Did the landlord handle my repair complaint properly?”
Housing disrepair claim: “Did the landlord fail to fix disrepair, and can I claim repairs or compensation?”
Both routes can deal with repair problems, but they do it in different ways.
The Housing Ombudsman may be the better route if:
For example, if your housing association kept closing repair jobs without fixing the real issue, the Ombudsman may look at whether the landlord acted fairly.
If this happened to you, this related guide may help: Council Marked My Repair as Completed But Nothing Was Fixed: What Can I Do?
A housing disrepair claim may be better if the issue is serious and has affected your health, safety, comfort, or belongings.
This route may be more suitable if:
For damp and mould problems, use this service page: Damp and Mould Claims
For leaks and water damage, use: Plumbing and Leak Claims
For heating problems, use: Boiler and Heating System Disrepair Claims
For electrical issues, use: Electrical Fault Disrepair Claims
Yes, sometimes.
A tenant may complain to the landlord first, then go to the Housing Ombudsman if the complaint response is poor. At the same time, if the property condition is serious and the landlord has failed to act, the tenant may also need legal advice about a housing disrepair claim.
The Housing Ombudsman can review complaint handling and landlord behaviour. A legal claim can focus more directly on repairs, compensation, and evidence of disrepair.
However, tenants should avoid starting too many steps without advice. If court action has already started, the Ombudsman may have limits on what it can investigate. The best route depends on the timing and facts of the case.
It depends.
A landlord complaint and Ombudsman route can take time because you usually need to complete the landlord’s complaint process first. The Ombudsman is useful, but it may not be the fastest route when the home is unsafe or the repair problem is urgent.
A housing disrepair claim can put legal pressure on the landlord, especially where there is strong evidence and the landlord has already had a fair chance to fix the issue.
If your home has serious damp, no heating, leaks, unsafe electrics, or damage affecting daily life, waiting too long may make the situation worse.
For both routes, evidence matters.
Keep:
If the landlord says there is no disrepair, read this guide: Landlord Says There Is No Disrepair: How Tenants Can Challenge It
If the landlord is blaming you for the problem, this may also help: Landlord Blames You for Disrepair: What Can You Do?
Choose the Housing Ombudsman if your main issue is poor complaint handling by a council or housing association.
Choose a housing disrepair claim if your main issue is that the landlord failed to fix repair problems and you want repairs, compensation, or legal pressure.
A simple way to decide is this:
If you want the landlord’s complaint process reviewed, think about the Ombudsman.
If you want repairs completed and compensation for living with disrepair, think about a housing disrepair claim.
For many tenants, the problem is not just bad service. It is the effect of living with damp, mould, leaks, cold rooms, unsafe electrics, or repeated repair failures. In that situation, legal advice can be the better next step.
Do not ignore serious repair problems just because your landlord has replied to your complaint. A reply is not the same as a proper repair.
If your landlord has failed to fix the problem, delayed repairs, blamed you unfairly, or closed repair jobs without solving the issue, you may still have options.
Start by collecting your evidence. Write down the timeline. Keep all messages. Take clear photos. Then check whether your situation is better suited to the Housing Ombudsman, a housing disrepair claim, or both.
If the problem is affecting your home, health, belongings, or daily life, you can start with the main Housing Disrepair Team or check your case through the housing disrepair compensation calculator.
