How to take your landlord to court for repairs
Send a letter of claim
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.
Letter template
You can read the pre action protocol for housing conditions claims.
For a letter template, scroll down to point (b) of ANNEX A.
If you have a solicitor, they should send a letter on your behalf.
Send your landlord a copy of the protocol together with your letter of claim if you think they do not know about it.
Last updated: 26 January 2024