Housing disputes
If you rent and your landlord won't fix things, is holding your deposit, or is charging fees they shouldn't, the law gives tenants strong protections. ConsumerSuit helps you understand them and put your case in writing.
Problems we can help with
- Disrepair — damp, mould, leaks, broken heating or hot water, or a home that isn't safe to live in, and a landlord who won't act.
- Your deposit — it wasn't protected in a scheme, or is being unfairly withheld at the end of your tenancy.
- Banned or unfair fees — charges a landlord or agent isn't allowed to make.
- Harassment or an unlawful eviction threat — being pressured to leave, or shut out, without the proper process.
The law behind it
Your landlord must keep the structure, and the heating, water, gas and electrics, in repair under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and your home must be fit to live in under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (s.9A). For serious hazards, the council can act and you can pursue statutory nuisance under s.82 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. A tenancy deposit must be protected in a government scheme (and prescribed information given) within 30 days under the Housing Act 2004 — miss that and you can claim one to three times the deposit. Banned fees are dealt with by the Tenant Fees Act 2019.
Who you escalate to
Depending on your landlord, the right route is the Housing Ombudsman (social landlords), the Property Ombudsman or the agent's redress scheme (letting agents), the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) for deposits and fees, or the County Court for disrepair.
How ConsumerSuit helps
- Works out which duties your landlord has broken and how strong your case is.
- Drafts your disrepair report, deposit-dispute letter, or complaint to the right scheme.
- Shows the escalation route, the deadlines, and the evidence that will help.