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What you can claim for

  1. 01Damp and mould
  2. 02Leaks
  3. 03Heating or hot water
  4. 04Electrics
  5. 05Windows or doors
  6. 06Pests
  7. 07Structure or roof
  8. 08Something else

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Report Repair · FCA authorised, FRN 830182

Independent · not part of Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council complaints, compensation and disrepair claims

Your options if Portsmouth 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: Portsmouth City Council repairs

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LandlordPortsmouth City Council

Has Portsmouth City Council been told about the repair?

Yes, reported and still not fixedCheck if you can claim No, reporting it for the first timeGet Portsmouth’s repair contacts

Free to check · About 2 minutes

You can complain to Portsmouth City Council, then the Housing Ombudsman, yourself for free.

Complaint or claim?

Your options if Portsmouth City Council hasn’t fixed it

Claim compensation

Make a disrepair claim

A law firm on our panel takes it up with Portsmouth 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 fees

Complain

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.

How to complain

You 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. Portsmouth’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.

  1. 01

    How long

    From when your landlord knew about it to when it was fixed, or today.

  2. 02

    How much of your home

    One room, or the whole home.

  3. 03

    How badly

    How much it affected your daily life and your belongings.

Making a claim

Claiming against Portsmouth City Council

  1. 01You tell us what’s wrong and when you reported it. About 2 minutes.
  2. 02We introduce you to a law firm on our panel, with your permission.
  3. 03They write to Portsmouth City Council asking for the repairs and compensation. Under the court rules for housing conditions claims, the council should reply within 20 working days.
  4. 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 Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council has to follow the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.

  1. Stage 1

    Complain to the council

    Acknowledged within 5 working days, with a reply within 10 working days of the complaint being logged.

  2. Stage 2

    Ask for a review

    Acknowledged within 5 working days, with a reply within 20 working days of the complaint being logged.

  3. Then

    Housing Ombudsman

    Independent. It can order the council to put things right.

Complain onlinemy.portsmouth.gov.uk

By emailHNBLandlordComplaints@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

By phone023 9260 6383

From portsmouth.gov.uk, checked 5 October 2026.

Complained and still waiting? You can start a claim while your complaint is going on.

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Portsmouth’s record

What the regulator and Ombudsman found

Regulator gradeC3

Jan 2025: The regulator found serious failings, including fewer than 40% of homes having a recent stock condition survey, over 1,000 outstanding fire safety actions, and more than 85% of homes without an electrical safety test in over five years.

Happy with complaints43%

of Portsmouth tenants were satisfied with how complaints were handled in 2024/25.

Ombudsman56%

of the Ombudsman’s findings about Portsmouth in 2024/25 were maladministration.

Sources: Regulator of Social Housing judgement, 29 January 2025; Portsmouth tenant satisfaction measures 2024/25; Housing Ombudsman landlord performance data 2024/25.

Complaints against Portsmouth

What the Housing Ombudsman decided

Recent Housing Ombudsman decisions about Portsmouth City Council’s repairs, and the compensation it ordered. Every case is different.

  • Contractor delays and poor weatherproofing during external renovation works, and a slow fix to a leaking window; the council had already offered redress, and its handling of damp and mould reports was found reasonable. Read the decisionReasonable redress

Source: Housing Ombudsman decisions.

Has Portsmouth let you down too? You could claim compensation.

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Questions

Portsmouth City Council complaints and claims: questions

How do I complain to Portsmouth City Council about repairs?

Online: my.portsmouth.gov.uk. By email: HNBLandlordComplaints@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. By phone: 023 9260 6383. Say what the problem is, when you reported it, and what you want done.

How long does Portsmouth City Council have to reply to a complaint?

Stage 1: acknowledged within 5 working days, with a reply within 10 working days of the complaint being logged. Stage 2: acknowledged within 5 working days, with a reply within 20 working days of the complaint being logged.

Can I claim compensation from Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth for you.

Start your claim
Has the Housing Ombudsman found Portsmouth City Council at fault?

In 2024/25 the Ombudsman found maladministration in 56% of its findings about Portsmouth. 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 Portsmouth 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 fees

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