Council and housing association tenants in England
No heating or hot water? Getting your landlord to fix it
Broken boilers, cold radiators and no hot water: what your council or housing association has to do, when it counts as an emergency, and what you can do if it isn’t fixed.
Smell gas? Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999
By Ben Miller, housing disrepair specialistUpdated 9 October 2026 · Awaab’s Law: from 30 November 2026
Has your landlord been told about it?
Yes, reported and still not fixedCheck if you can claim No, reporting it for the first timeGet your landlord’s repair contactsFree to check · About 2 minutes
You can complain to your landlord, then the Housing Ombudsman, yourself for free.
What counts
Heating and hot water: what your landlord should fix
- 01A broken boiler, or no heating at all
- 02No hot water
- 03Radiators or storage heaters that don’t work
- 04A boiler that keeps breaking down or losing pressure
- 05Heating controls or thermostats that don’t work
Your landlord has to fix it once it knows about it, so reporting it is what starts the clock.
The law
What your landlord has to do
- 01
Repairs to heating and hot water
Your landlord must keep the installations for heating your home and heating water in repair and working.
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11 - 02
Awaab’s Law
Since 27 October 2025, Awaab’s Law makes social landlords investigate and make safe any emergency hazard within 24 hours. The government’s guidance gives broken boilers as an example. From 30 November 2026 it also covers excess cold: if it’s a significant risk, your landlord must investigate within 10 working days, then give you a written summary within 3 working days and do the work to make you safe within 5 working days of the investigation ending.
GOV.UK: Awaab’s Law guidance for social landlords - 03
Gas safety
If you have gas, your landlord must have it safety checked every 12 months and give you a copy of the record within 28 days of the check.
Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36
Landlords compared
When the biggest landlords treat no heating as an emergency
216 of the 306 councils and housing associations whose emergency repairs list we checked include no heating or hot water on it. Here’s what the biggest say, in their own words.
| Landlord | Counts as an emergency | Emergency target |
|---|---|---|
| Sanctuary Housing | No heating between November and March where an older or disabled person or a child under five lives in the home. Source | 24 hours |
| Peabody | No central heating between 31 October and 1 April. Source | 4 hours |
| Sovereign Network Group | No heating in the winter months; No hot water and no back-up, such as an immersion heater. Source | 24 hours |
| Places for People | No heating at all between October and March. Source | 24 hours |
| Southern Housing | No heating for a vulnerable resident. Source | 24 hours |
| Riverside | No heating, hot water or water supply. Source | 12 hours |
| The Guinness Partnership | No heating or hot water in winter. Source | 24 hours |
| Leeds City Council | No heating or hot water (1 November to 30 April). Source | 3 hours |
| Home Group | No heating, if you have no other way to heat your home; No hot water, if you have no other way to get it. Source | 24 hours |
| Platform Housing Group | No heating at all between 1 November and 1 April. Source | 24 hours |
| Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing | Total loss of heating. Source | 24 hours |
| Anchor | No heating or no hot water. Source | 4 to 24 hours |
From each landlord’s own website, checked in October 2026. Each landlord’s page has its repair numbers and full emergency list.
What to do
What to do about heating and hot water
- 01Report it straight away and say who lives with you: some landlords treat it as an emergency for older or disabled people and young children.
- 02Keep a list of every report, reference number, missed appointment and visit.
- 03Keep receipts for heaters you bought and note any extra electricity costs.
- 04Take photos of the boiler display or error codes.
- 05Complain if it isn’t fixed or keeps breaking down.
Find your landlord’s repairs line
Reported it and still waiting? You could claim compensation, and get the work done.
Start your claimHousing Ombudsman
Ombudsman cases about heating and hot water
From Jan 2025 to Sep 2026, the Housing Ombudsman found a council or housing association at fault over heating and hot water in 182 decisions. Where it ordered compensation, it was £600 in a typical case and £1,000 or more in one case in four, up to £6,725. Every case is different.
- Clarion Housing: how it handled reports of no heating and hot water including its decision to not replace all the radiators in property. Read the decisionSevere maladministration
£1,775 ordered - Yorkshire Housing: how it handled request to install an alternative heating system. Read the decisionService failure
£975 ordered - Islington Council: how it handled concerns about reduced hours of heating and hot water. Read the decisionMaladministration
£400 ordered - Notting Hill Genesis: how it handled reports of no heating or hot water. Read the decisionSevere maladministration
£2,425 ordered - L&Q: how it handled reports of no heating and hot water. Read the decisionMaladministration
£200 ordered - Camden Council: how it handled reports that the lifts in the building were out of service and that she had no hot water service failure in the landlord’s handling of the complaint We have made orders for the landlord to put things. Read the decisionService failure
£100 ordered - A2Dominion: how it handled reports of no heating or hot water. Read the decisionSevere maladministration
£1,800 ordered - A2Dominion: how it handled request to remove the radiator covers, and the associated damage. Read the decisionService failure
£100 ordered
Source: Housing Ombudsman decisions. Compensation the Ombudsman ordered on a complaint, not the amount of a court claim. Ombudsman compensation by problem and landlord.
Claiming
Claiming compensation for heating and hot water
If you reported it and your landlord didn’t fix it in a reasonable time, you could claim. A claim asks for the work to be done and for compensation, usually worked out as a share of the rent you paid while it wasn’t fixed. Three things decide how much.
- 01
How long
From when your landlord knew about it to when it was fixed, or today.
- 02
How much of your home
One room, or the whole home.
- 03
How badly
How much it affected your daily life and your belongings.
- 01You tell us what’s wrong, who your landlord is and when you reported it. About 2 minutes.
- 02We introduce you to a law firm on our panel, with your permission.
- 03They write to your landlord asking for the repairs and compensation. Under the court rules for housing conditions claims, your landlord should reply within 20 working days.
- 04If your claim succeeds, the work is done and compensation is paid to you.
Free to check, and we don’t charge you. If a solicitor takes your claim on, they work on a no win, no fee basis and must explain their fee in writing before you agree to anything. See fees
Questions
Heating and hot water: questions
Can I claim compensation for no heating or hot water?
You could, if you reported it and your landlord didn’t fix it in a reasonable time. A claim can cover the time you were without heating or hot water and extra costs such as running electric heaters.
Check if you can claimIs no heating an emergency repair?
It depends on your landlord: many only treat it as an emergency in winter, or for older or disabled people and young children. See the table above. Under Awaab’s Law a broken boiler can be an emergency hazard that must be made safe within 24 hours.
My landlord gave me electric heaters. Is that enough?
Heaters are a stopgap, not a repair. The boiler or heating still has to be fixed, and the extra cost of running heaters can be part of a claim.
What if I smell gas?
Leave the home if you can, don’t use switches or flames, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. It’s free, 24 hours a day.
Should I stop paying rent until it’s fixed?
No. Keep paying your rent: rent arrears can put your tenancy at risk. Report it, complain, and claim instead.
Other repair problems
Something else wrong?
- Damp and mouldBlack mould, condensation, damp walls and ceilings
- Leaks and waterRoof leaks, burst pipes, water coming through
- ElectricsSockets, wiring, lights and fuse boxes
- Windows and doorsWon’t lock, won’t close, rotten frames, draughts
- PestsMice, rats, cockroaches and bedbugs
- Structure and roofCracks, falling plaster, unsafe ceilings and stairs
- Lifts, shared areas and drainsLifts, shared areas, drains and anything else
Still waiting for your landlord to fix it?
About 2 minutes. No documents. Free to check.