Independent · not part of Gateshead Council
Gateshead Council complaints, compensation and disrepair claims
Your options if Gateshead 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: Gateshead Council repairs
LandlordGateshead Council
Has Gateshead Council been told about the repair?
Yes, reported and still not fixedCheck if you can claim No, reporting it for the first timeGet Gateshead’s repair contactsFree to check · About 2 minutes
You can complain to Gateshead Council, then the Housing Ombudsman, yourself for free.
Complaint or claim?
Your options if Gateshead Council hasn’t fixed it
Claim compensation
Make a disrepair claim
A law firm on our panel takes it up with Gateshead 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 Gateshead, it ordered between £250 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. Gateshead’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 Gateshead 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 Gateshead 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 Gateshead Council
Gateshead Council has to follow the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.
- Stage 1
Complain to the council
Reply aimed for within 10 working days.
- Stage 2
Ask for a review
Reply within 20 working days.
- Then
Housing Ombudsman
Independent. It can order the council to put things right.
Complain onlinegateshead.gov.uk
By phone0191 433 5353
From gateshead.gov.uk, checked 5 October 2026.
Complained and still waiting? You can start a claim while your complaint is going on.
Start your claimGateshead’s record
What the regulator and Ombudsman found
Apr 2025: The regulator found some weaknesses, including a repairs backlog, an underdeveloped approach to damp and mould, slow and inaccessible information for tenants, and poor complaint handling with large backlogs.
of Gateshead tenants were satisfied with how complaints were handled in 2024/25.
of the Ombudsman’s findings about Gateshead in 2024/25 were maladministration.
Sources: Regulator of Social Housing judgement, 30 April 2025; Gateshead tenant satisfaction measures 2024/25; Housing Ombudsman landlord performance data 2024/25.
Complaints against Gateshead
What the Housing Ombudsman decided
Recent cases where the Housing Ombudsman found Gateshead Council at fault over repairs, and the compensation it ordered. Every case is different.
- How it handled reported gutter repair and the associated damp and mould in the home. Read the decisionMaladministration
£250 ordered - How it handled reports of damp and mould. Read the decisionMaladministration
£600 ordered - How it handled reports of a water leak and related damp and mould in the property. Read the decisionSevere maladministration
£1,700 ordered
Source: Housing Ombudsman decisions.
Has Gateshead let you down too? You could claim compensation.
Start your claimQuestions
Gateshead Council complaints and claims: questions
How do I complain to Gateshead Council about repairs?
Online: gateshead.gov.uk. By phone: 0191 433 5353. Say what the problem is, when you reported it, and what you want done.
How long does Gateshead Council have to reply to a complaint?
Stage 1: reply aimed for within 10 working days. Stage 2: reply within 20 working days.
Can I claim compensation from Gateshead 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 Gateshead for you.
Start your claimHas the Housing Ombudsman found Gateshead Council at fault?
In 2024/25 the Ombudsman found maladministration in 85% of its findings about Gateshead. 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 Gateshead 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 Gateshead?
Other landlords in the North of England
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- Hull City Council complaints and claimsCouncil
- Leeds City Council complaints and claimsCouncil
- Newcastle City Council complaints and claimsCouncil
- Sheffield City Council complaints and claimsCouncil
Still waiting for Gateshead Council to fix it?
About 2 minutes. No documents. Free to check.