A resource hub for the professionals who help tenants
Plain-English guides, plus a fast way to refer a tenant whose landlord has not fixed damp, mould, leaks or broken heating.
Regulated. The claim check and referral are free. The tenant is told: No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing. England and Wales.
Why refer to us
- Free claim check and referral for your service and the tenant
- We contact them within one working day
- Regulated, not a cold-caller
- You need do nothing further
When to use this service
- They rent from a council, housing association or private landlord in England or Wales
- Their home has damp, mould, leaks, broken heating, pests or another unfixed repair
- They have reported it to the landlord and it has not been put right
- The problem is affecting their health, comfort or wellbeing
When not to use this service
- Someone is in immediate danger, use emergency services
- They are homeless or being evicted now, use the council housing options team or an urgent housing adviser
- There is a safeguarding concern, follow your local safeguarding process
- They need medical advice, speak to a health professional
What to tell the person you support
“Support for Tenants helps people whose rented home has damp, mould, leaks, broken heating or other repairs their landlord has not fixed. You can talk it through for free. There is no pressure to start a claim.”
Getting their consent
A simple verbal yes is enough. You can ask: “Is it OK if I pass your details to Support for Tenants so they can call you about your housing?”
Refer a tenant in two minutes
Met someone whose landlord has left their home in disrepair? Refer them with a short form, an email, or a call with the tenant on a three-way line. We contact them within one working day, and you need do nothing further. An SRA-regulated solicitor handles any claim on a no-win, no-fee basis.
Support for Tenants is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 1020217) and registered with the ICO. You must have the tenant's consent before sharing their details.
What happens after you refer
- We contact the resident within one working day
A real person, not a bot. You need do nothing further.
- We talk it through and explain their options honestly
No pressure and no obligation. We tell them where they stand.
- If there is a viable claim, a panel solicitor takes it on
The tenant is told: No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing. It is free for your service to refer.
You must have the resident's consent before sharing their details with us.
The law, in plain English
The statutes and regulations behind a disrepair case, written so you can explain them to a tenant or cite them in a letter.
Awaab's Law
The fixed timescales landlords must meet for damp, mould and emergency hazards, with what counts and when the clock starts.
Read
Section 11, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
The repairing obligation that sits behind most disrepair cases, explained without the jargon.
Read
Fitness for Human Habitation Act
When a home is unfit, the standards it must meet, and what a tenant can do about it.
Read
All housing law and statutory instruments
The full library of the Acts, regulations and statutory instruments we work from.
Read
Sources we cite
Every figure and legal point on this site is traced to a primary source. Here is the list.
Read
Practical resources you can hand over
Tools and templates a tenant can use straight away. All free, all without an email gate.
Complaint letter builder
Generate a formal disrepair letter that cites the right law, ready to give a tenant. Free PDF, no email needed.
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Letter templates
Plain-English letters a tenant can copy, fill in or print: to the landlord, for complaints, and a repair diary.
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What evidence to gather
A short guide to the photos, dates and records that make a disrepair case stand up.
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Compensation calculator
An open estimate of the compensation range for a disrepair claim. No form, no email gate.
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Housing and health
For support and care workers. Free letters a resident can use when poor housing is affecting their health, beyond repairs. Each one points to the right free service for advice.
Request home adaptations
Ask the council or landlord for grab rails, a ramp, a stairlift or a level-access shower, and an occupational therapy assessment.
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Medical priority for rehousing
Ask for a medical priority or banding review when a home is making a health condition worse. Space to attach a clinician's letter.
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Not safe to discharge home
Tell a landlord or council someone cannot return home from hospital until a repair or adaptation is sorted, and ask for urgent action.
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Report overcrowding
Report overcrowding to the council on health grounds and ask whether it affects rehousing priority.
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Gas safety and alarms
Ask a landlord for the yearly gas safety check and working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, which are their legal duty.
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Reasonable adjustments
Ask a landlord to make a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010 for a disabled tenant.
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Clinician's supporting letter
A template for a doctor, nurse or occupational therapist to back a resident's request for rehousing, adaptations or an urgent repair.
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Spot the signs a home is harming health
If you notice any of these with someone you support, it may be worth a referral or one of the letters above.
- Black mould, a damp smell, or condensation running down the windows
- A cold home, or heating and hot water that keep breaking down
- Repeated chest infections, a cough that will not clear, or worsening asthma
- Falls, or struggling with the stairs, the bath or the toilet
- Overcrowding, with no space to sleep or recover properly
- Repairs reported to the landlord months ago and still not done
If the situation is urgent
We help with housing disrepair and getting repairs done. We are not an emergency, safeguarding or homelessness service. Please use the right route for those:
- Immediate danger: use emergency services.
- Homeless or being evicted now: contact the council housing options team or an urgent housing adviser.
- A safeguarding concern: follow your local safeguarding process.
- Medical advice: speak to a health professional.
Common questions
Is the service free for the person I refer and for my team?+
The claim check and referral are free to the resident and your service. The funding promise to the resident is: No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.
Who can I refer?+
Anyone in England or Wales renting from a council, housing association, or private landlord, whose home has damp, mould, leaks, broken heating, pests or other repairs the landlord has not put right.
When is this not the right service?+
If someone is in immediate danger, is homeless or being evicted right now, has a safeguarding concern, or needs medical advice. Those need emergency, housing-options, safeguarding or health routes. We can help with housing disrepair and getting repairs done, not those urgent decisions.
What consent do I need before referring?+
The resident must agree before you share their details. A simple verbal yes is enough. You can ask: is it OK if I pass your details to Support for Tenants so they can call you about your housing?
What happens after I refer?+
We contact the resident within one working day, talk it through, and explain their options honestly with no pressure. You need do nothing further.
Can I just get a letter or template, without referring?+
Yes. The letters and the help centre are free to use with no referral and no sign-up. Use whatever helps the person, even if that is not us.
Do you cover Scotland or Northern Ireland?+
No. We cover England and Wales only.
Keep up to date and work with us
Law changes and news
Plain-English updates as the law changes, from the Renters' Rights Act to Awaab's Law deadlines, written for people who advise tenants.
Read the latestSet up a formal partnership
If your service supports tenants regularly, we can set up a dedicated contact and faster triage, with free leaflets and posters for your space.
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