Property damaged by repair work

You may be able to claim compensation if you have been injured or if your belongings have been damaged, because of a repair that was done or that needs to be done by the council.

If you have contents insurance, you should claim on your insurance, rather than from the council.

How to claim compensation

If you want to claim compensation from the council, complete the claim form. We must receive your form within 28 days of the damage taking place or from the time you noticed it.

To support your claim you should take photographs of the damage if possible, and keep any damaged items that you are claiming for.

Personal injury claims or claims over £750

If your claim is for a personal injury or is likely to be over £750, the Council’s insurance office will deal with your claim. They’ll get in touch with you and keep you informed of progress.

Claims of £750 and under

If your claim is not for personal injury or is not likely to be over £750, the Housing Service will deal with your claim. We will get in touch within 10 working days to let you know we have received your claim.

We will investigate your claim. We may arrange to visit your home to ask you about your claim and to inspect any damage you have mentioned in your claim. We aim to do this within a week of receiving your claim.

When we have completed our investigation a senior manager will make a decision. We aim to let you know about the decision within 30 working days of receiving your claim.

If your claim is successful, we will pay compensation. We aim to arrange payment within 28 days of telling you the compensation amount.

If you owe the council rent or other debts, your compensation will automatically go towards paying these debts.

Appealing the decision

If you are not happy with our decision you can appeal. It is also possible to challenge an appeal outcome, but only if you can provide new evidence or information. At that point you can refer your claim to the Housing Ombudsman.