Disrepair compensation is the rent you paid times the months affected times a severity percentage (courts use 10% to 100%), plus out-of-pocket costs and any injury award.
On this page
- The short answer
- General damages: the rent reduction method
- What affects the percentage reduction?
- Typical percentage bands (a rough guide)
- Special damages: out-of-pocket costs
- Personal injury: if your health was affected
- The notice date: where the clock starts
- What to do now
- When should I contact Support for Tenants?
- Sources
- Related articles
If your housing disrepair claim wins, you get compensation. But how is the amount worked out? Knowing the method helps you see what your claim could be worth. It also shows you what evidence to gather.
The short answer
Compensation is made up of three parts: general damages, special damages, and (if your health was harmed) personal injury damages. General damages are usually the biggest part. They are worked out as a percentage of the rent you paid while your home was in disrepair. The idea is simple: you paid full rent but did not get a full home.
General damages: the rent reduction method
The main question a court asks is this: how much was your home worth less because of the disrepair?
The sum looks like this:
Rent per month × number of months of disrepair × percentage reduction = general damages
For example:
- Rent: £900 a month
- Time in disrepair after you told the landlord: 18 months
- Reduction agreed: 30%
So the sum is: £900 × 18 × 30% = £4,860
The percentage depends on how bad the disrepair was and which rooms it affected. A bedroom you cannot use because of mould scores higher than a fault that was annoying but did not really stop daily life. Courts have given reductions from 10% up to 100% in the most serious cases.
What affects the percentage reduction?
The main things are:
How bad it was. Mould over most of a bedroom is worse than one crack in a wall.
Which rooms. A bedroom or kitchen counts for more than a hallway or an outbuilding. If you could not use a living space, the percentage goes up.
How long it lasted. The longer it went unfixed after the landlord knew, the longer the claim period.
Health impact. If it harmed your health, general damages go up. You may also be able to add a personal injury claim.
Who lived there. If children, older people, or disabled people lived in the home, courts tend to award more.
Typical percentage bands (a rough guide)
Courts decide every case on its own facts, so there is no fixed rate. As a rough guide, awards have fallen across this range:
| Severity | What it can look like | Rough rent reduction |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | A fault that is a nuisance but does not stop you using a room, for example a draughty window or a small crack | Around 10% to 25% |
| Moderate | Damp or mould in one room, or heating and hot water that keeps failing | Around 25% to 50% |
| Serious | A main room such as a bedroom or kitchen made unusable, or lasting mould affecting health | Around 50% to 75% |
| Severe | Most of the home affected, or the home unfit to live in | Up to 100% |
The percentage is applied to the rent for the time in disrepair, counted from the date your landlord knew. Special damages and any personal injury award are then added on top. These bands show how courts have judged severity before. They are a guide, not a promise of any particular outcome.
Special damages: out-of-pocket costs
Special damages are the real costs you paid because of the disrepair. You need receipts or other proof for them. Common examples:
- belongings damaged by damp, mould or leaks (furniture, clothing, electrical items)
- extra heating costs while the boiler was broken
- medicine, appointments or treatment for conditions caused or made worse by the disrepair
- the cost of dehumidifiers, mould spray, or other short-term fixes
- the cost of staying elsewhere during the worst periods
Keep receipts and invoices for everything.
Personal injury: if your health was affected
If the disrepair caused or worsened a health condition, you can also claim for it. This includes asthma, a chest illness, skin problems made worse by mould, or depression from living in an unfit home. You can claim for:
- pain, suffering, and the effect on your daily life
- extra out-of-pocket costs caused by that health condition
This part needs medical evidence: a letter from your doctor, records showing symptoms during the time of disrepair, and ideally a view that the housing may have played a part.
The notice date: where the clock starts
Compensation usually starts from the date your landlord first knew about the problem, not from when it first appeared. If there is a written record of your report (an email, a repairs portal entry, a letter), that is the notice date. If you only reported it out loud, notice is harder to prove.
This is why early written reports matter so much. Every month of notice you can prove is another month of the claim.
What to do now
Gather your rent statements, repair messages, medical records, and receipts for damaged items. Find the earliest proof you have that you told your landlord. This is the base of the compensation sum.
When should I contact Support for Tenants?
If you want to understand what your disrepair claim might be worth, call us on 0800 030 4669.
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.
Sources
- Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Section 11 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims, England (justice.gov.uk)
- Limitation Act 1980 (legislation.gov.uk)
Related articles
We review every guide at least twice a year and update it when the law changes. If you spot something out of date or wrong, email help@supportfortenants.co.uk.
Reviewed against current housing law for England and Wales as at 16 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.
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