Independent · not part of Southwark Council
Southwark Council complaints, compensation and disrepair claims
Your options if Southwark 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: Southwark Council repairs
LandlordSouthwark Council
Has Southwark Council been told about the repair?
Yes, reported and still not fixedCheck if you can claim No, reporting it for the first timeGet Southwark’s repair contactsFree to check · About 2 minutes
You can complain to Southwark Council, then the Housing Ombudsman, yourself for free.
Complaint or claim?
Your options if Southwark Council hasn’t fixed it
Claim compensation
Make a disrepair claim
A law firm on our panel takes it up with Southwark 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 Southwark, it ordered between £50 and £671 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 Southwark 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 Southwark 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 Southwark Council
Southwark Council has to follow the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.
- Stage 1
Complain to the council
Acknowledged within 5 working days, with a reply within 10 working days of that (the Code’s limits).
- Stage 2
Ask for a review
Acknowledged within 5 working days, with a reply within 20 working days of that.
- Then
Housing Ombudsman
Independent. It can order the council to put things right.
From southwark.gov.uk, checked 5 October 2026.
Complained and still waiting? You can start a claim while your complaint is going on.
Start your claimSouthwark’s record
What the regulator and Ombudsman found
Nov 2024: The regulator found serious failings, including overdue electrical and fire safety checks, out-of-date stock condition data, homes failing the Decent Homes Standard, and a backlog of complaints.
of Southwark tenants were satisfied with how complaints were handled in 2024/25.
of the Ombudsman’s findings about Southwark in 2024/25 were maladministration.
Sources: Regulator of Social Housing judgement, 27 November 2024; Southwark tenant satisfaction measures 2024/25; Housing Ombudsman landlord performance data 2024/25.
Complaints against Southwark
What the Housing Ombudsman decided
Recent cases where the Housing Ombudsman found Southwark Council at fault over repairs, and the compensation it ordered. Every case is different.
- How it handled a leak, including electrics. Read the decisionMaladministration
£671 ordered - How it handled reports of a communal waste stack leak. Read the decisionMaladministration
£600 ordered - How it handled reports of damp and mould. Read the decisionService failure
£50 ordered
Source: Housing Ombudsman decisions.
Has Southwark let you down too? You could claim compensation.
Start your claimQuestions
Southwark Council complaints and claims: questions
How do I complain to Southwark Council about repairs?
Through its complaints page: southwark.gov.uk. By email: complaints@southwark.gov.uk. By phone: 020 7525 0042. Say what the problem is, when you reported it, and what you want done.
How long does Southwark Council have to reply to a complaint?
Stage 1: acknowledged within 5 working days, with a reply within 10 working days of that. Stage 2: acknowledged within 5 working days, with a reply within 20 working days of that.
Can I claim compensation from Southwark 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 Southwark for you.
Start your claimHas the Housing Ombudsman found Southwark Council at fault?
In 2024/25 the Ombudsman found maladministration in 74% of its findings about Southwark. 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 Southwark 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 Southwark?
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Still waiting for Southwark Council to fix it?
About 2 minutes. No documents. Free to check.