Independent · not part of Brighton & Hove City Council
Brighton & Hove City Council complaints, compensation and disrepair claims
Your options if Brighton & Hove 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: Brighton & Hove City Council repairs
LandlordBrighton & Hove City Council
Has Brighton & Hove City Council been told about the repair?
Yes, reported and still not fixedCheck if you can claim No, reporting it for the first timeGet Brighton & Hove’s repair contactsFree to check · About 2 minutes
You can complain to Brighton & Hove City Council, then the Housing Ombudsman, yourself for free.
Complaint or claim?
Your options if Brighton & Hove City Council hasn’t fixed it
Claim compensation
Make a disrepair claim
A law firm on our panel takes it up with Brighton & Hove 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 Brighton & Hove, it ordered between £150 and £800 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. Brighton & Hove’s own target for a routine repair is 20 working days, so a repair left longer than that is already late by its own standard.
- 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 Brighton & Hove 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 Brighton & Hove 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 Brighton & Hove City Council
Brighton & Hove City Council has to follow the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.
- Stage 1
Complain to the council
A reply aimed for within 10 working days.
- Stage 2
Ask for a review
A reply aimed for within 20 working days.
- Then
Housing Ombudsman
Independent. It can order the council to put things right.
By emailcustomerfeedback@brighton-hove.gov.uk
By phone01273 291229
From democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk, checked 5 October 2026.
Complained and still waiting? You can start a claim while your complaint is going on.
Start your claimBrighton & Hove’s record
What the regulator and Ombudsman found
Aug 2024: The regulator found serious failings, including thousands of homes without a current electrical report, missing water and fire safety work, no evidence of meeting smoke alarm rules, and a backlog of around 8,000 low-priority repairs.
of Brighton & Hove tenants were satisfied with how complaints were handled in 2024/25.
of the Ombudsman’s findings about Brighton & Hove in 2024/25 were maladministration.
Sources: Regulator of Social Housing judgement, 9 August 2024; Brighton & Hove tenant satisfaction measures 2024/25; Housing Ombudsman landlord performance data 2024/25.
Complaints against Brighton & Hove
What the Housing Ombudsman decided
Recent cases where the Housing Ombudsman found Brighton & Hove City Council at fault over repairs, and the compensation it ordered. Every case is different.
- How it handled reports of a leak. Read the decisionMaladministration
£800 ordered - How it handled a report of an infestation of bedbugs in the property. Read the decisionMaladministration
£250 ordered - How it handled reports concerning damp and mould. Read the decisionService failure
£150 ordered
Source: Housing Ombudsman decisions.
Has Brighton & Hove let you down too? You could claim compensation.
Start your claimQuestions
Brighton & Hove City Council complaints and claims: questions
How do I complain to Brighton & Hove City Council about repairs?
By email: customerfeedback@brighton-hove.gov.uk. By phone: 01273 291229. Say what the problem is, when you reported it, and what you want done.
How long does Brighton & Hove City Council have to reply to a complaint?
Stage 1: a reply aimed for within 10 working days. Stage 2: a reply aimed for within 20 working days.
Can I claim compensation from Brighton & Hove 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 Brighton & Hove for you.
Start your claimHas the Housing Ombudsman found Brighton & Hove City Council at fault?
In 2024/25 the Ombudsman found maladministration in 84% of its findings about Brighton & Hove. 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 Brighton & Hove 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 Brighton & Hove?
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Still waiting for Brighton & Hove City Council to fix it?
About 2 minutes. No documents. Free to check.