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Housing disrepair claims in Sheffield

Sheffield retained its council housing through the ALMO era and brought management back in-house in 2021. Around 39,000 council homes plus a large registered-provider stock fall under Awaab's Law and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018.

A street of typical British terraced housing

What you need to know about repairs in Sheffield

Sheffield City Council manages around 39,000 council homes directly through Sheffield Housing Services. The arms-length management organisation Sheffield Homes was wound down and management returned to the council in April 2021. Disrepair complaints have featured prominently in independent statutory rulings against the authority in the years following.

Awaab's Law (Section 10A LTA 1985, in force 27 October 2025) sets statutory deadlines for every social landlord in Sheffield, council or registered provider: 24 hours to make an emergency hazard safe, 10 working days to investigate a significant hazard, 3 working days for a written summary, 5 working days to complete the works.

Older estates in Manor, Wybourn, Park Hill, Gleadless Valley and Parson Cross include large numbers of 1950s-70s system-built homes with persistent damp and thermal-bridging issues. The Grade II*-listed Park Hill flats are mid-regeneration; tenants in the unrenovated phases retain full statutory protection. Private rented stock concentrations in Page Hall and Burngreave fall under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 too.

Awaab's Law deadlines, in plain English

Awaab's Law started on 27 October 2025. It gives every social landlord in Sheffield firm deadlines to fix dangerous problems once you report them. Here are the deadlines:

ActionDeadline
Emergency hazard, make safe24 hours
Significant hazard, investigate10 working days
Written summary of findings3 working days after investigation
Complete the works5 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 Sheffield

The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 applies to every rented home in Sheffield, social or private. If your landlord is not listed above, the same rights apply.

Explore Sheffield in depth

Has Sheffield 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

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The law is on your side

Wherever you are, the rules are the same, and they work. This is what landlords across England were made to pay tenants in one recent year, and it is what we help you claim.

£5.4m
compensation ordered for tenants in one year
26,901
orders made to put things right
40%
of it for damp, mould and leaks
£32,000
the largest single award

Figures from the independent statutory review, Annual Complaints Review 2024 to 2025. These are sector-wide outcomes for social housing tenants in England.