A private tenant is renting a terraced house in a northern city. Damp patches have appeared on two bedroom walls, and there is a crack running from a window frame to the corner of the room. Over the past six months she has sent three written letters and followed up on the landlord's WhatsApp number. All of it has been ignored.
She finds Support for Tenants through a Facebook post shared in a local housing group. She fills in the contact form that evening.
A triage call takes place within 48 hours. She sends the photos she has been taking over the months and copies of the letters she sent. The team identifies this as a potential structural-damp case under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and arranges an independent survey.
The surveyor visits and finds rising damp caused by a failed damp proof course and a repairable structural crack. Both are the landlord's responsibility under Section 11. The report is clear and evidenced.
The case is referred to a panel solicitor on a no-win-no-fee Conditional Fee Agreement. The solicitor sends a Letter of Claim. The landlord responds promptly once the formal letter arrives.