Independent · not part of Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council complaints, compensation and disrepair claims
Your options if Birmingham City Council hasn’t fixed a repair: claiming compensation, complaining, and what the Housing Ombudsman has found.
By Ben Miller, housing disrepair specialistChecked 5 October 2026 · How we checkRepairs and phone numbers: Birmingham City Council repairs
LandlordBirmingham City Council
Has Birmingham City Council been told about the repair?
Yes, reported and still not fixedCheck if you can claim No, reporting it for the first timeGet Birmingham’s repair contactsFree to check · About 2 minutes
You can complain to Birmingham City Council, then the Housing Ombudsman, yourself for free.
Complaint or claim?
Your options if Birmingham City Council hasn’t fixed it
Claim compensation
Make a disrepair claim
A law firm on our panel takes it up with Birmingham for you. It asks for the repairs to be done and claims compensation, usually worked out as a share of the rent you paid while the problem wasn’t fixed.
Start your claim 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 feesComplain
Complain to the council
This can get the council to look at the repair again. If you’re still unhappy, the Housing Ombudsman can order the council to put things right. In its recent decisions about Birmingham, it ordered between £430 and £1,700 in compensation.
How to complainYou can do both: a complaint can carry on while a law firm makes your claim.
Compensation
How disrepair compensation is worked out
Courts usually award a share of the rent you paid while the problem 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.
Making a claim
Claiming against Birmingham City Council
- 01You tell us what’s wrong and when you reported it. About 2 minutes.
- 02We introduce you to a law firm on our panel, with your permission.
- 03They write to Birmingham City Council asking for the repairs and compensation. Under the court rules for housing conditions claims, the council 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
How to complain
Complaining to Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council has to follow the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.
- Stage 1
Complain to the council
Acknowledged within 5 working days, with a decision within 10 working days.
- Stage 2
Ask for a review
A review request is assessed within 5 working days, with a final response within 20 working days of that.
- Then
Housing Ombudsman
Independent. It can order the council to put things right.
Complaints pagebirmingham.gov.uk
By phone0121 464 9995
From birmingham.gov.uk, checked 5 October 2026.
Complained and still waiting? You can start a claim while your complaint is going on.
Start your claimBirmingham’s record
What the regulator and Ombudsman found
of Birmingham tenants were satisfied with how complaints were handled in 2024/25.
of the Ombudsman’s findings about Birmingham in 2024/25 were maladministration.
Sources: Birmingham tenant satisfaction measures 2024/25; Housing Ombudsman landlord performance data 2024/25.
Complaints against Birmingham
What the Housing Ombudsman decided
Recent cases where the Housing Ombudsman found Birmingham City Council at fault over repairs, and the compensation it ordered. Every case is different.
- How it handled damp and mould. Read the decisionMaladministration
£1,700 ordered - How it handled reports of damp and mould. Read the decisionMaladministration
£430 ordered
Source: Housing Ombudsman decisions.
Has Birmingham let you down too? You could claim compensation.
Start your claimQuestions
Birmingham City Council complaints and claims: questions
How do I complain to Birmingham City Council about repairs?
Through its complaints page: birmingham.gov.uk. By phone: 0121 464 9995. Say what the problem is, when you reported it, and what you want done.
How long does Birmingham City Council have to reply to a complaint?
Stage 1: acknowledged within 5 working days, with a decision within 10 working days. Stage 2: a review request is assessed within 5 working days, with a final response within 20 working days of that.
Can I claim compensation from Birmingham City Council for damp and mould?
You could, if you reported it and the council didn’t fix it in a reasonable time. A law firm on our panel can take it up with Birmingham for you.
Start your claimHas the Housing Ombudsman found Birmingham City Council at fault?
In 2024/25 the Ombudsman found maladministration in 81% of its findings about Birmingham. Recent decisions about its repairs are listed above, with the compensation ordered.
Why use Report Repair?
A law firm on our panel takes your claim up with Birmingham City Council: it asks for the repairs to be done and claims compensation for you, so you don’t have to deal with the council on your own. It’s free to check, and if your claim succeeds the law firm’s fee comes out of your compensation.
See feesNot Birmingham?
Other landlords in the Midlands
- Bournville Village Trust complaints and claimsHousing association
- Broxtowe Borough Council complaints and claimsCouncil
- Charnwood Borough Council complaints and claimsCouncil
- Chesterfield Borough Council complaints and claimsCouncil
- City of Wolverhampton Council complaints and claimsCouncil
- Dudley Council complaints and claimsCouncil
- Nottingham City Council complaints and claimsCouncil
- Sandwell Council complaints and claimsCouncil
Still waiting for Birmingham City Council to fix it?
About 2 minutes. No documents. Free to check.