Tenants could be owed compensation worth thousands over issues including mould and leaks- could you claim?
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TENANTS in social housing could be owed compensation of up to £20,000 over issues including mould and leaks. Landlords are responsible for making any repairs to a property and ensuring that tenants have hot water, heating and power. If this happens and social tenants have already complained to their landlord then they can take their case to the Housing Ombudsman.
![[Row of brick terraced houses.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/NINTCHDBPICT000429452605.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The Ombudsman resolves disputes between social tenants and landlords and awards compensation or suggests solutions to problems. Last year it made 21,740 suggestions to sort issues for residents, ranging from doing repairs to paying compensation or improving practices.
This was three times as many as in the previous year. In total, it paid out £4.9 million in compensation, four times as much as the previous year when £1.1 million was paid out. Among those to be awarded compensation was a tenant who received £20,000.
The Ombudsman said that the high level of compensation reflects the severity of some of the issues it has seen. It was discovered that some residents received huge payouts because they had only recently found out that they could bring a complaint to the Ombudsman after living with damp and mould for a decade.
Speaking at the time, Richard Blakeway, housing ombudsman, said: “Behind every statistic is a resident’s life that has been disrupted by landlord inaction or ineffectiveness. Our cases show this leads to children missing school, reports of declining health or people forced to sleep on sofas or floors.
