Independent · not part of Havering Council
Havering Council complaints, compensation and disrepair claims
Your options if Havering 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: Havering Council repairs
LandlordHavering Council
Has Havering Council been told about the repair?
Yes, reported and still not fixedCheck if you can claim No, reporting it for the first timeGet Havering’s repair contactsFree to check · About 2 minutes
You can complain to Havering Council, then the Housing Ombudsman, yourself for free.
Complaint or claim?
Your options if Havering Council hasn’t fixed it
Claim compensation
Make a disrepair claim
A law firm on our panel takes it up with Havering 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 Havering, it ordered between £150 and £750 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. Havering’s own target for a routine repair is 28 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 Havering 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 Havering 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 Havering Council
Havering Council has to follow the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.
- Stage 1
Complain to the council
Contacted within 5 working days, with a full written reply within 10 working days.
- Stage 2
Ask for a review
A further investigation, with a full response within 20 working days.
- Then
Housing Ombudsman
Independent. It can order the council to put things right.
Complaints pagehavering.gov.uk
From havering.gov.uk, checked 5 October 2026.
Complained and still waiting? You can start a claim while your complaint is going on.
Start your claimHavering’s record
What the regulator and Ombudsman found
of Havering tenants were satisfied with how complaints were handled in 2024/25.
of the Ombudsman’s findings about Havering in 2024/25 were maladministration.
Sources: Havering tenant satisfaction measures 2024/25; Housing Ombudsman landlord performance data 2024/25.
Complaints against Havering
What the Housing Ombudsman decided
Recent cases where the Housing Ombudsman found Havering Council at fault over repairs, and the compensation it ordered. Every case is different.
- How it handled reports of a leak and associated damp and mould. Read the decisionMaladministration
£750 ordered - How it handled damp and mould reports. Read the decisionService failure
£150 ordered
Source: Housing Ombudsman decisions.
Has Havering let you down too? You could claim compensation.
Start your claimQuestions
Havering Council complaints and claims: questions
How do I complain to Havering Council about repairs?
Through its complaints page: havering.gov.uk. Say what the problem is, when you reported it, and what you want done.
How long does Havering Council have to reply to a complaint?
Stage 1: contacted within 5 working days, with a full written reply within 10 working days. Stage 2: a further investigation, with a full response within 20 working days.
Can I claim compensation from Havering 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 Havering for you.
Start your claimHas the Housing Ombudsman found Havering Council at fault?
In 2024/25 the Ombudsman found maladministration in 80% of its findings about Havering. 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 Havering 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 Havering?
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Still waiting for Havering Council to fix it?
About 2 minutes. No documents. Free to check.