Heating and hot water are essential services. If your boiler has been broken, radiators don't work or you've been left with cold showers for days, weeks or months — and your landlord hasn't fixed it — you are entitled to compensation for every day you went without.
Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires your landlord to keep installations for space heating and heating water in repair and proper working order. This applies to council, housing association and private landlords alike.
Loss of heating or hot water is classed as an emergency or urgent repair. Most social landlords' own policies promise a response within 24 hours and a fix within a few days. In winter, or where vulnerable people live in the home, the "reasonable time" for repair is measured in days — not weeks.
If your landlord has failed to meet these timeframes, you can claim for the disruption and any extra costs, and force a permanent repair or replacement rather than endless patch-ups.
Use the 60-second checker or call us. We confirm eligibility within 24 hours.
Photos, reports to your landlord and an independent survey build your case.
Our solicitors put your landlord on formal notice to repair and compensate.
Work completed and compensation agreed — usually without court.
There is no fixed legal number of days, but heating and hot water are urgent repairs. Social landlords typically promise a response within 24 hours and a fix within days. Being left for weeks — especially in winter — is almost always unreasonable and claimable.
Yes. Temporary heaters don't replace a working system, and they usually cost far more to run. You can claim for the extra energy costs as well as the inconvenience.
We strongly advise against withholding rent — it can put your tenancy at risk. A disrepair claim lets you recover compensation properly while staying protected.
Absolutely. Section 11 applies to nearly all private tenancies. Private tenants can claim in exactly the same way as council or housing association tenants.
Complete our 60-second checker or call us. No pressure, no obligation — just clear answers.
