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Housing disrepair claims in Leeds
Leeds has one of the largest retained council housing stocks in England. If you have asked for repairs and been ignored, your tenancy gives you statutory rights you may not have known about.
What you need to know about repairs in Leeds
Leeds City Council directly manages around 54,000 council homes through Leeds Housing, making it one of the few large urban authorities to have retained its stock rather than transferring it. A 2024-25 independent statutory review recorded multiple severe-failing findings against the council, particularly relating to damp, mould, and repairs handling.
Awaab's Law now sets statutory deadlines for every social landlord in Leeds: 24 hours to make an emergency hazard safe, 10 working days to investigate a significant hazard, 3 working days to issue a written summary of findings, and 5 working days to complete the works.
Post-war estates in Seacroft, Halton Moor, Belle Isle and Gipton have known disrepair concentrations. The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 means every rented home in Leeds must be fit at the start of and throughout the tenancy, regardless of who the landlord is.
Awaab's Law deadlines, in plain English
Awaab's Law started on 27 October 2025. It gives every social landlord in Leeds 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 Leeds
The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 applies to every rented home in Leeds, social or private. If your landlord is not listed above, the same rights apply.
Explore Leeds in depth
Has Leeds 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.