Tell landlord first about need for repairs, councils says, after tenant ordered to pay £8k in costs after failed disrepair claim
City of York Council has called on tenants to report repairs to their landlord first, after a judge at York County Court last month ordered an unsuccessful disrepair claimant to pay almost £8,000 in costs.
The local authority said it had seen a rise in housing disrepair claims brought by firms of solicitors on behalf of housing tenants.
Some of these disrepair claims had failed in court, with tenants being ordered to pay thousands of pounds in costs.
City of York said: “These ‘no win no fee’ legal firms press tenants to make claims against the council for failing to repair their home or not doing it well enough. Unsolicited and unaccredited 'surveyors' have been reported going door to door, cajoling tenants to make compensation claims against their landlord. They then sell this information on to legal firms for their own gain, with some suggesting that they work for the council, when they do not.”
In the latest case the judge ordered the unsuccessful tenant to pay costs of £7,964.75.
The local authority said this followed another unsuccessful ‘no win, no fee’ case against the council in 2023 which left that tenant being ordered by a judge to pay costs of £10,409.72.
Cllr Michael Pavlovic, Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities said: “We strive to get repairs done quickly and efficiently and 86% of them are completed on a first visit. Our tenants are always invited to talk to officers about any repairs needed, or any delay or dissatisfaction with them.
“We are committed to making good any repairs for which we are responsible, and our ongoing and significant housing repair programme is upgrading and modernising homes.
“These claims against the council mean that everyone loses - except for these legal firms - and have left tenants owing thousands in court costs. The time and money spent by the council to defend these claims could be better invested in tenants’ homes.”
