As a responsible landlord, we take all reports of faults in our properties seriously and aim to resolve any issues as quickly as possible. 

Tenants are encouraged to contact us if they have any repair issues they need to discuss, rather than starting a costly and time consuming legal process, known as a housing disrepair claim. 

What is a housing disrepair claim? 

A housing disrepair claim is a type of legal case that involves a tenant taking legal action against their landlord for failing to fix a repair or damage to their rented property.

While you have the right to seek independent legal advice, there are some things you should be aware of: 

• cases often have poor results for tenants  
• it could end up being more costly for you, as you could be left with large legal bills  
• even if your claim is successful, the legal firm will take a substantial amount of any money that is paid out to you 

What can I do instead? 

If you are thinking of making a claim against the council due to a fault with your property, we strongly encourage you to speak to us first. Problems can often be resolved much more quickly and easily if you contact us first.

Disrepair claims advice

(PDF 207 KB)

If you are unhappy about how your repair was dealt with, you can make a complaint here. 

Contact us 

You can contact us by email repair.requests@chesterfield.gov.uk or call 0800 587 5659 during office hours.

In an emergency, you can also call 01246 345041 outside of office hours.

Other help and advice 

Derbyshire Law Centre 

If you feel you need legal advice you can also talk to the Derbyshire Law Centre about your repair claims. Derbyshire Law Centre has solicitors and caseworkers that specialise in housing law, which includes issues involving disrepair at your home. 

Any advice provided is completely free.

Claims management companies 

We do not work with claims management companies. If someone claiming to be from a claims management company visits your home and suggests that they are working with us, this is likely to be untrue. 

If someone claiming to be from a claims management company, or suggesting you may have a claim for disrepair visits your home, make sure you: 

• always ask for identification 
• call the police if you feel scared or threatened 
• talk to us before you sign any documents