Wales and West Housing Repairs
Claims and Compensation
Reported the damp months ago and nothing has happened? If Wales and West Housing has left your home with mould, a leaking roof or no heating, you can force the repairs through and claim compensation for the time you have lived with it. No Win No Fee, with nothing to pay upfront.
We act for social housing contract holders throughout Wales. See our full guide to housing disrepair claims in Wales.
Wales and West Housing Repairs Not Being Done
The pattern contract holders describe to us rarely varies. A repair is reported and given a job number. An operative attends, paints over the mould or tightens a joint, and the job is closed as complete. Three months later the damp is back in the same corner, and the next report starts the cycle again.
A closed job on the landlord's system is not a completed repair, and the law does not treat it as one. Where the underlying defect was never addressed, the repairing obligation was never discharged. That is the point at which a formal legal claim changes the dynamic, and the process works the same way for all housing association contract holders.
Repairs enforced and compensation recovered
Upfront cost to start a claim
Success fee, agreed in writing first
Wales and West Housing, the Facts
What the landlord has published about its own repair service, and what that means if your repair has stalled.
How to report a repair
[INSERT: reporting routes and the landlord's published emergency, urgent and routine target timescales]
The complaints procedure
[INSERT: stage one and stage two deadlines, then the route to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales]
Stock and areas covered
[INSERT: approximate number of homes and the local authority areas the landlord operates in]
Damp and mould position
[INSERT: the landlord's published damp and mould policy and any Ombudsman findings with case reference]. Your underlying protections are set out on our tenant rights page.
Your Rights Under Welsh Housing Law
Housing law in Wales diverged from England when the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 came into force in December 2022. You are now a contract holder with an occupation contract rather than a tenant with a tenancy, and your landlord owes you two separate duties. The first is to keep the structure and exterior in repair and the service installations in working order. The second, under Section 91, is to keep the dwelling fit for human habitation throughout the occupation contract. Our guide to landlord repair obligations explains how the two duties interact.
The fitness duty is the stronger of the two, and it is where most Welsh claims are won. The Renting Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) (Wales) Regulations 2022 require your landlord to assess the dwelling against 29 recognised hazards, which include damp and mould growth, excess cold, electrical hazards and structural collapse. The same regulations impose specific obligations your landlord cannot argue around:
- Working smoke alarms on every storey, mains wired and interlinked
- A carbon monoxide alarm in every room containing a gas, oil or solid fuel appliance
- An electrical condition inspection carried out at least every five years, with a copy of the report provided to you
If any of those three is missing, the dwelling is treated as unfit regardless of its general condition, and that is often the quickest route to establishing the landlord's breach. Where the dwelling is unfit, rent is not payable for the period of unfitness, which is a remedy Welsh contract holders have and English tenants do not.
One point of difference worth knowing. Awaab's Law, with its fixed investigation deadlines for damp and mould, was introduced under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and applies in England. It does not apply in Wales. Welsh contract holders rely on the fitness duty instead, which in practice is no weaker, because an unfit dwelling is a breach from day one rather than after a missed deadline.
Case Examples From Welsh Social Housing
Illustrative examples of the case types we handle for Welsh contract holders. Details are composite and do not describe a single identified client. Verified client feedback is on our reviews page.
A family reports black mould in two bedrooms over eighteen months and is told each time to open the windows and stop drying washing indoors. An independent surveyor instructed on the claim finds a failed extractor fan and cold bridging at the external wall. The claim establishes a breach of the fitness duty, the remedial works are scheduled, and damages run from the first report rather than the survey date.
Water enters through a slipped tile every time the wind drives rain against one elevation. Three separate operative visits are logged as completed repairs. The repair history itself becomes the strongest evidence in the claim, because it shows the landlord had notice on three occasions and the defect persisted after each one.
A boiler fails in November and the household is given plug in heaters while awaiting parts. Excess cold is one of the 29 hazards under the Welsh fitness regulations, and temporary heaters do not discharge the duty. The claim covers both the period without heating and the additional electricity costs the household absorbed.
A contract holder requests the electrical condition report and none can be produced within the five year window. Under the fitness regulations the dwelling is treated as unfit on that basis alone, which establishes the breach before any argument about the condition of the property itself begins.
Why Welsh Contract Holders Instruct Us
Full details of how the funding works are on our No Win No Fee page.
We Assess Before We Accept
If the evidence will not support a claim we tell you at the assessment stage rather than after months of correspondence. An honest no is worth more than a hopeful maybe.
No Win No Fee
Nothing to pay upfront and nothing to pay if the claim does not succeed. The success fee is capped and agreed in writing before the conditional fee agreement is signed.
Welsh Law, Not English Law
Occupation contracts, the fitness regulations and the Welsh Ombudsman route work differently. Firms applying English procedure to Welsh cases lose ground early.
Disrepair We Handle for Welsh Contract Holders
Damp and Black Mould
Routinely blamed on condensation from everyday living. A survey usually finds a failed damp proof course, cold bridging or a ventilation defect behind it.
Roof and Penetrating Leaks
Slipped tiles, failed flashing and blocked gutters. Welsh weather exposes these faster than most, and patch repairs rarely hold through a second winter.
Excess Cold and Broken Boilers
Named explicitly as a hazard in the Welsh fitness regulations. A dwelling that cannot be heated to a reasonable temperature is unfit, whatever the repair log says.
Electrical Faults and Missing Alarms
Exposed wiring, tripping consumer units, or an absent electrical condition report and no interlinked smoke alarms, each of which renders the dwelling unfit on its own.
Rodents and Infestations
Where pests enter through structural defects or shared waste areas, sealing the entry point is the landlord's responsibility, not just treating the infestation.
Structural Defects
Progressive cracking, movement and failing brickwork. These need monitoring evidence over time, which is why early photographs matter so much.
Mould cases make up the largest share of what we handle, and the evidence requirements are set out in detail on our damp and mould claims page.
How a Claim Against Wales and West Housing Works
Four stages, no cost to you at any point unless the claim succeeds. Our compensation calculator gives you a realistic starting range before you call.
Free Assessment
We review your repair history and the condition of the property, then tell you honestly whether the claim is worth running.
Evidence and Survey
We compile your reports, photographs and correspondence, and instruct an independent surveyor to identify the true cause.
Letter of Claim
A formal letter of claim goes to the landlord under the pre action protocol, with deadlines for a response and a schedule of works.
Repairs and Settlement
We press for the works to be completed and negotiate damages for the period you lived with the disrepair.
Where We Act Across Wales
Wales and West Housing manages homes in a number of Welsh local authority areas. If your landlord is a different provider, start from the page for your area instead.
We act for council and housing association contract holders in Wales and tenants in England. We do not take private rented sector, leaseholder or shared ownership claims.
The Evidence That Decides a Claim
What to Gather Now
- Every job reference number, with the date you reported it and what the operative did or did not do.
- Dated photographs taken at intervals, so the spread of damage over time is visible rather than asserted.
- All correspondence, including portal messages and text confirmations, which are frequently overlooked.
- GP records where the conditions have triggered or worsened a respiratory problem, which supports a personal injury element.
What Most People Get Wrong
The strongest evidence is almost never the photograph of the mould. It is the paper trail showing the landlord knew and did nothing. Tenants who kept a simple dated log of calls and reference numbers consistently settle faster than those who have only photographs, because notice is what has to be proved first.
If you do not have a full record, that is not fatal. Your landlord holds its own repair history and we can require disclosure of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I claim directly against Wales and West Housing
Yes. Where the landlord has failed to keep the dwelling in repair or fit for human habitation, you can bring a claim to compel the works and recover damages. You do not need the landlord's agreement to do so.
Can I be evicted for bringing a claim
If you hold a secure occupation contract with a community landlord, the landlord cannot end it without establishing a ground and obtaining a court order, and bringing a disrepair claim is not a ground. The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 also contains specific retaliatory eviction protections. We will confirm your contract type at the assessment so you know exactly where you stand before anything is issued.
How much compensation could I receive
Damages are usually calculated as a proportion of the rent paid during the period of disrepair, plus the cost of belongings damaged and any personal injury element. The figure depends on severity and duration, so be cautious of any firm quoting an amount before seeing your evidence.
Is there a time limit
Generally six years from when the disrepair began for the disrepair itself, and three years for any personal injury element. Where a problem has run for longer, the earlier period may fall outside the limitation window, which is a reason not to delay.
Does Awaab's Law apply to my home in Wales
No. Awaab's Law was introduced under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and applies in England. In Wales the equivalent protection comes from the fitness for human habitation duty, under which a dwelling affected by serious damp and mould is unfit from the outset.
What if my landlord is a different Welsh provider
The legal route is identical. We act against registered social landlords and councils throughout Wales, and our Wales disrepair claims page covers the process in full.
Starting a Wales and West Housing Disrepair Claim
Challenging a large housing association feels daunting, particularly when every previous attempt has ended in a closed job and no change at home. In practice, the imbalance is smaller than it looks. The landlord has to meet a statutory standard, it has to be able to evidence that it did, and where it cannot, the law does not care how large the organisation is. You can read about the team who will be handling your case.
Use the Complaints Procedure First, but Set a Limit
Logging a formal complaint is worth doing, because the written record becomes evidence later and the Ombudsman route generally requires it. Where it goes wrong is when tenants stay in the internal process indefinitely, accepting each holding response. Give the procedure a defined window, keep every reference number, and treat a second missed deadline as the point to escalate rather than the point to complain again. This matters most with roof and gutter defects, where each delayed winter compounds the internal damage.
What Happens When We Take Over
Once instructed, we move the matter out of the customer service queue. A letter of claim under the pre action protocol goes to the landlord's legal team with a schedule of works, a deadline for disclosure of the full repair history, and a request for access for an independent survey. Landlords that ignored twelve months of tenant emails typically respond inside the protocol deadline, because the costs consequences of not doing so are real. The same pattern holds for heating and electrical failures, where the safety risk makes delay harder to defend.
What You Recover
A successful claim has two halves and tenants often underestimate the first. The works are enforced, usually under a schedule with dates attached, so the problem is fixed rather than patched again. Damages then cover the period you lived with the disrepair, calculated largely against the rent you paid, plus replacement of belongings ruined by damp or water, plus any injury element. Where the dwelling was unfit under the Welsh regulations, the position on rent for that period is stronger still.
If your repair has been outstanding for months and the last response you had was an apology rather than a date, that is the point to get it assessed. Contact our team and we will tell you within 24 hours whether the claim is worth running.
Start Your Claim Today
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Ready to Get the Repairs Done
Free assessment, no obligation, and an honest answer about whether your claim is worth running.
What Could Your Claim Be Worth
Damages depend on how long the disrepair has run, the rent you paid during it, the belongings damaged and the effect on your health. We will give you a realistic range once we have seen the evidence, not before.
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