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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 Southend-on-Sea City Council

Southend-on-Sea City Council complaints, compensation and disrepair claims

Your options if Southend-on-Sea City Council hasn’t fixed a repair: claiming compensation, complaining, and what the Housing Ombudsman has found.

By Ben Miller, housing disrepair specialistChecked 8 October 2026 · How we checkRepairs and phone numbers: Southend-on-Sea City Council repairs

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LandlordSouthend-on-Sea City Council

Has Southend-on-Sea City Council been told about the repair?

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

Free to check · About 2 minutes

You can complain to Southend-on-Sea City Council, then the Housing Ombudsman, yourself for free.

Complaint or claim?

Your options if Southend-on-Sea City Council hasn’t fixed it

Claim compensation

Make a disrepair claim

A law firm on our panel takes it up with Southend 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. In its recent decisions about Southend, it ordered £800 in compensation.

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. Southend’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 Southend-on-Sea 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 Southend-on-Sea 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 Southend-on-Sea City Council

Southend-on-Sea 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 decision within 10 working days of that.

  2. Stage 2

    Ask for a review

    Considered by a senior member of staff, with a decision within 20 working days of acknowledging your request.

  3. Then

    Housing Ombudsman

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

Complaints pagesouthessexhomes.co.uk

By emailSEHComplaintsandFOIS@seh.southend.gov.uk

By phone0800 833 160

From southessexhomes.co.uk, checked 8 October 2026.

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

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Southend’s record

What the regulator and Ombudsman found

Regulator gradeC3

Sep 2025: The regulator found serious failings: many homes and communal areas without valid electrical safety checks, around 2,500 open fire safety actions, out-of-date stock condition data, over 900 overdue repairs, and missed complaint targets.

Happy with complaints36%

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

Ombudsman85%

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

Sources: Regulator of Social Housing judgement, 24 September 2025; Southend tenant satisfaction measures 2024/25; Housing Ombudsman landlord performance data 2024/25.

Complaints against Southend

What the Housing Ombudsman decided

Recent cases where the Housing Ombudsman found Southend-on-Sea City Council at fault over repairs, and the compensation it ordered. Every case is different.

Source: Housing Ombudsman decisions.

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

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Questions

Southend-on-Sea City Council complaints and claims: questions

How do I complain to Southend-on-Sea City Council about repairs?

Through its complaints page: southessexhomes.co.uk. By email: SEHComplaintsandFOIS@seh.southend.gov.uk. By phone: 0800 833 160. Say what the problem is, when you reported it, and what you want done.

How long does Southend-on-Sea City Council have to reply to a complaint?

Stage 1: acknowledged within 5 working days, with a decision within 10 working days of that. Stage 2: considered by a senior member of staff, with a decision within 20 working days of acknowledging your request.

Can I claim compensation from Southend-on-Sea 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 Southend for you.

Start your claim
Has the Housing Ombudsman found Southend-on-Sea City Council at fault?

In 2024/25 the Ombudsman found maladministration in 85% of its findings about Southend. 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 Southend-on-Sea 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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