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Housing disrepair claims in Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital of Wales and operates under Welsh housing law. Welsh tenancies fall under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, which is different from the law in England. If your landlord has ignored repairs, you may have a claim.
What you need to know about repairs in Cardiff
Cardiff Council directly manages around 13,000 council homes, the largest retained stock in Wales. The Welsh Government's Housing Quality Standard (WHQS 2023) sets the regulatory baseline for social housing in Wales. The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, fully in force from December 2022, replaced the assured shorthold tenancy structure with the Welsh occupation-contract model.
Awaab's Law as enacted by Westminster (Section 10A LTA 1985) does not directly apply in Wales. The Senedd is considering equivalent timeframes for Welsh social landlords through the Hazards in Social Housing reform programme, but as of May 2026 the statutory deadlines that bind English social landlords do not bind Welsh ones in the same form. Welsh tenants retain the underlying fitness duty through Section 91 of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, which incorporates the Welsh Government's fitness-for-human-habitation regulations.
Cardiff Community Housing Association, Wales and West Housing, Newydd, Cadwyn, Linc Cymru, Taff Housing and Hafod operate across the city. Pre-1939 stock in Adamsdown, Splott, Grangetown and Riverside has known disrepair concentrations. Bilingual support is available; Welsh-speaking tenants can request correspondence in Welsh under the Welsh Language Standards.
Awaab's Law deadlines, in plain English
Awaab's Law started on 27 October 2025. It gives every social landlord in Cardiff firm deadlines to fix dangerous problems once you report them. Here are the deadlines:
| Action | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Emergency hazard, make safe | 24 hours |
| Significant hazard, investigate | 10 working days |
| Written summary of findings | 3 working days after investigation |
| Complete the works | 5 working days after written summary |
See the full breakdown of what counts as an emergency vs significant hazard at /law/awaabs-law.
Major landlords in Cardiff
The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 applies to every rented home in Cardiff, social or private. If your landlord is not listed above, the same rights apply.
Explore Cardiff in depth
Has Cardiff council been ignoring your repairs?
If you reported damp, mould, a leak, broken heating or another serious repair more than three months ago and the council has not fixed it, you may be entitled to make a formal housing disrepair claim. The law gives you the right to get the repairs done and to claim compensation for the time you have lived without them.
- No win, no fee. You pay nothing if the claim does not succeed
- Free initial advice. We tell you honestly if you have a case
- FCA-authorised claims management company
- SRA-regulated panel solicitors handle the legal work
How a claim works
- Tell your landlord in writing. First you report the problem to your landlord and ask them to put it right. Keep a copy of what you send and any reply. If they do not sort it out, you may have a claim.
- A no-win-no-fee claim. A panel solicitor takes your case. If you do not win, you pay nothing. If you win, you pay an agreed fee out of your compensation, never out of your own pocket, and we explain it clearly before you start. This is worth thinking about if the problem has gone on a long time, or the landlord keeps ignoring you.
We will tell you honestly whether you have a claim. Call us free on 0800 030 4669. Support for Tenants is a regulated company. We are not a solicitor. Panel solicitors run the cases.
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By: Support for Tenants editorial team
Last updated:
Reviewed against current housing law for England and Wales as at 22 June 2026. Checked by our SRA-regulated panel solicitors. This is general information, not legal advice for your specific case. Any compensation figures or ranges shown are illustrative only and not guaranteed; every case is different.