You must follow a set of steps before starting court action.

These steps are called the pre action protocol.

The court will check if you and your landlord have followed these steps.

You should:

1. Try to find a solution without going to court, for example by negotiating with your landlord

2. Send a 'letter of claim' to the landlord

If you have a solicitor, they will send the letter of claim.

What to write

A letter of claim should have detailed information, including:

• history of the problem, including how you've tried to resolve it

• how the problem affects you and anyone living with you

• details of any letters, emails or text messages you sent to the landlord or agent

• information about any experts you will use to give evidence

You should send it even if you already tried to negotiate with your landlord.

Send your landlord a copy of the protocol together with your letter of claim if you think they do not know about it.