Independent · not part of Bristol City Council
Bristol City Council complaints, compensation and disrepair claims
Your options if Bristol 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: Bristol City Council repairs
LandlordBristol City Council
Has Bristol City Council been told about the repair?
Yes, reported and still not fixedCheck if you can claim No, reporting it for the first timeGet Bristol’s repair contactsFree to check · About 2 minutes
You can complain to Bristol City Council, then the Housing Ombudsman, yourself for free.
Complaint or claim?
Your options if Bristol City Council hasn’t fixed it
Claim compensation
Make a disrepair claim
A law firm on our panel takes it up with Bristol 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 Bristol, it ordered between £750 and £2,200 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 Bristol 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 Bristol 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 Bristol City Council
Bristol City Council has to follow the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.
- Stage 1
Complain to the council
Acknowledged in writing within 5 working days, and your complaint handler contacts you within 10 working days of that.
- Stage 2
Ask for a review
The council aims to finish its review and write to you with the outcome within 20 working days.
- Then
Housing Ombudsman
Independent. It can order the council to put things right.
Complain onlineBristol’s complaints form
From bristol.gov.uk, checked 5 October 2026.
Complained and still waiting? You can start a claim while your complaint is going on.
Start your claimBristol’s record
What the regulator and Ombudsman found
Jul 2024: The regulator found serious failings, including over half of homes without a current electrical safety certificate, most homes not meeting smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules, about 3,000 outstanding fire safety actions, over 1,900 open damp and mould cases and more than 16,000 outstanding repairs.
of Bristol tenants were satisfied with how complaints were handled in 2024/25.
of the Ombudsman’s findings about Bristol in 2024/25 were maladministration.
Sources: Regulator of Social Housing judgement, 9 July 2024; Bristol tenant satisfaction measures 2024/25; Housing Ombudsman landlord performance data 2024/25.
Complaints against Bristol
What the Housing Ombudsman decided
Recent cases where the Housing Ombudsman found Bristol City Council at fault over repairs, and the compensation it ordered. Every case is different.
- How it handled water ingress repairs and an associated move to alternative accommodation. Read the decisionMaladministration
£750 ordered - How it handled reports of leaks, damp and mould and associated repairs. Read the decisionSevere maladministration
£2,200 ordered
Source: Housing Ombudsman decisions.
Has Bristol let you down too? You could claim compensation.
Start your claimQuestions
Bristol City Council complaints and claims: questions
How do I complain to Bristol City Council about repairs?
Online: Bristol’s complaints form. By email: complaints.feedback@bristol.gov.uk. Say what the problem is, when you reported it, and what you want done.
How long does Bristol City Council have to reply to a complaint?
Stage 1: acknowledged in writing within 5 working days, and your complaint handler contacts you within 10 working days of that. Stage 2: the council aims to finish its review and write to you with the outcome within 20 working days.
Can I claim compensation from Bristol 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 Bristol for you.
Start your claimHas the Housing Ombudsman found Bristol City Council at fault?
In 2024/25 the Ombudsman found maladministration in 78% of its findings about Bristol. 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 Bristol 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 Bristol?
Other landlords in the South of England
- Brighton & Hove City Council complaints and claimsCouncil
- Broadland Housing Association complaints and claimsHousing association
- Bromford Flagship complaints and claimsHousing association
- Cambridge City Council complaints and claimsCouncil
- Canterbury City Council complaints and claimsCouncil
- Milton Keynes City Council complaints and claimsCouncil
- Norwich City Council complaints and claimsCouncil
- Portsmouth City Council complaints and claimsCouncil
Still waiting for Bristol City Council to fix it?
About 2 minutes. No documents. Free to check.