Tenants urged to tell council about repairs as failed claimant is charged £10,000 by court

Council tenants are being reminded to report repairs to the council rather than make legal claims against it, after a York County Court judge ordered an unsuccessful claimant to pay over £10,000 costs.

The advice comes after a rise in legal claims by ‘claims farmers’ and ‘no win, no fee’ solicitors on behalf of housing tenants. Some of these disrepair claims have failed and resulted in tenants being left significantly out of pocket.

A recent ‘no win, no fee’ case against the council by a tenant was unsuccessful and left the tenant being ordered by the judge to pay court costs of £10,409.72.

‘No win no fee’ legal firms have been targeting tenants to make claims against the council, and ‘claims farm’ workers have been reported to be going door to door in York. Tenants are urged to always talk to the council first about any repairs needed, any delays with repairs or any dissatisfaction with repairs.

‘Claims farmers’ encourage people to make compensation claims against their landlord. They then sell this information on to legal firms for their own gain. Some suggest they are working for the council, but they are not. 

If approached by people touting for this work, tenants are being urged to:

• talk to the council first!
• call the police if they feel scared or threatened
• always ask to see identification and check it
• tell Trading Standards on 0808 223 1133 if these workers at the doorstep claim to be from the council.

Councillor Michael Pavlovic, Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities said: “Providing decent affordable homes is a priority. We are carrying out a significant housing repair programme to upgrade and modernising homes while also installing energy efficiency measures to make them more affordable to run. We are committed to supporting council tenants and making good any repairs for which we are responsible.

“The recent and rising number of claims against the council have seen everyone lose out - except for the claims farmers. It has left tenants liable to court costs, and the time and money spent by the council to defend these claims could be better spent on investing in homes.

“Our message is simple: if you are a council tenant and feel your home needs a repair or if you have a problem with a repair, please contact us first on 01904 551550 (option 4, option 1). Our team will ensure you get the right support you need.”

Anyone unhappy about how we have responded to a request for a repair, or how we have carried out a repair, should please tell us first. The concern will be assessed and treated impartially. Find out more at www.york.gov.uk/4Cs or email: haveyoursay@york.gov.uk.