Council & Housing Association TenantsNo Heating Or Hot Water Claims
Left without heating or hot water and your landlord is dragging their feet? You may be able to claim compensation and force the repair. We help council and housing association tenants in England and Wales. Check where you stand in 60 seconds.
:quality(75))
:quality(80))
Heating Problems In A Rented Property
Your council or housing association has to provide working heating and hot water, and keep the boiler, pipes and radiators in repair. That is not optional and it does not depend on the age of the system.
A landlord who keeps patching the same boiler instead of replacing it, or who leaves you waiting weeks between visits, is not meeting that duty.
Problems We See Most Often:
A boiler that has broken down completely
Radiators that stay cold or only warm at the top
No hot water, or hot water that runs cold
A boiler condemned or capped by a gas engineer
Storage heaters that do not hold any heat
Heating that trips out and needs constant resetting
A landlord patching the same boiler over and over
No working heating in one or more rooms
:quality(80))
How Long Can A Landlord Leave You Without Heating?
There is no single deadline written into law, but a total loss of heating or hot water is treated as an emergency repair. Most councils and housing associations set themselves a 24 hour target for emergencies, and 7 to 28 days for routine repairs.
If you are left cold for weeks, or through winter, that is very unlikely to count as a reasonable time. From 30 November 2026 Awaab's Law extends to excess cold, which will put fixed legal deadlines on social landlords for the first time.
Your Landlord Must, By Law:
Provide and maintain the heating and hot water
Keep the boiler, pipes and radiators in repair
Carry out an annual gas safety check
Treat a total loss of heating as an emergency
Offer temporary heaters while repairs are done
Repair within a reasonable time once you report it
Keep your home at a temperature that is safe
Can I Claim For No Heating Or Hot Water?
You May Have A Claim If:
You rent from a council or housing association
Your home is in England or Wales
You reported it and the repair was not done
You were left cold or without hot water for weeks
:quality(80))
:quality(80))
:quality(80))
:quality(80))
Who Can Make A Heating Disrepair Claim?
We act for council and housing association tenants in England and Wales. If you rent from a private landlord or letting agent, or your home is in Scotland, we are not able to take your claim. Your council's environmental health team and Shelter can both advise you instead.
The one thing to know
You do not have to prove why the boiler failed or whose fault it was. What usually matters is that you told your landlord, and that you were still cold or without hot water long after you reported it.
How Much Compensation For No Heating Or Hot Water?
There is no fixed payout. Compensation for a heating disrepair claim is usually made up of two parts.
General damages
This covers the loss of enjoyment of your home for the period you were without heating or hot water. Courts often work it out as a proportion of the rent you paid during that time. A whole winter without heating is treated very differently to a week in summer.
Special damages
This covers money you actually lost. The most common one is the electricity bill from running plug in heaters, which costs far more than central heating. It can also include laundrette costs if you had no hot water, or damage caused by frozen or burst pipes. Keep your bills and receipts.
A home you cannot get warm is not somewhere anyone should be spending a winter.
What affects the amount
- How long you were left without heating or hot water
- Whether it happened in winter
- Whether children, older people or anyone with a health condition lives there
- How much extra you spent on electricity or gas
- Whether damp or mould developed because the home could not be heated
- Whether you reported it and were ignored
We cannot tell you what your claim is worth until we have seen your evidence. Every case is different.
Do Landlords Have To Provide Heating And Hot Water?
Yes. This is one of the clearest duties in housing law, and your council or housing association cannot get out of it.
Section 11, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
Your landlord must keep the installations for space heating and heating water in repair and proper working order. That covers the boiler, the radiators, the pipework and the hot water cylinder. A tenancy agreement cannot sign this duty away.
What landlords often say
“Pop an extra jumper on and use the plug in heater we dropped round. The boiler is still firing, so it is not an emergency.”
What the law says
A temporary heater is a stopgap, not a repair. The duty is to keep the heating and hot water in proper working order, so a system that only half works still needs putting right within a reasonable time. Being told to wrap up warm is not a fix.
Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018
Your home must be fit to live in for the whole of your tenancy. A property you cannot heat is not fit to live in, and you can take your landlord to court directly under this Act.
If your home is too cold to live in properly, that is not just bad luck or an old system. The law treats it as something your landlord has to put right, and you do not need the council or anyone else to give you permission before you take it further.
Awaab's Law deadlines
24 hours
No heating in cold weather can be an emergency hazard, and an emergency must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours.
30 Nov 2026
Excess cold comes under Awaab's Law from 30 November 2026, with fixed deadlines like the damp and mould ones.
Reasonable time
Until then Section 11 applies, which means the repair must be done within a reasonable time. Being left without heating through winter is not reasonable.
Gas safety and the annual check
Your landlord must arrange an annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer and give you a copy of the certificate. If an engineer has condemned or capped your boiler, your landlord must replace or repair it, not leave you without heat.
Can a landlord control your heating?
If you have your own boiler and thermostat, your landlord should not be restricting when you can heat your home. In some blocks the heating is on a communal system with set hours, which is lawful, but the property still has to reach a temperature that is safe to live in. A landlord who turns the heating off, limits it, or refuses to let you use it is very likely in breach of their obligations.
Should my landlord provide temporary heaters?
While the heating is out of action a reasonable landlord should provide temporary heaters, and many social landlords do this as standard. If they supply them, keep a note of your electricity use, because that extra cost can form part of a claim.
What to do if your landlord will not fix the heating
- Report it in writing by email, letter or the tenant portal, and keep a copy
- Keep a diary of every date you chased, who you spoke to and who attended
- Photograph the boiler, any engineer notices and any condemned or capped tag
- Keep your electricity and gas bills so the extra cost can be evidenced
- Make a formal complaint through your landlord's complaints procedure
- Escalate to the Housing Ombudsman once that complaints process is exhausted
- Get free legal advice about a housing disrepair claim
How To Make A Heating Disrepair Claim
From your first enquiry to getting repairs done and compensation paid, here's what to expect.
:quality(80))
1
Complete Our Form
Fill in your details so we can confirm eligibility and understand your situation.
2
Share Your Evidence
Send us photos, videos, and any messages you've sent to your landlord about the issues.
3
Letter of Claim
Your solicitor sends a formal claim to your landlord, starting the legal process.
4
Property Inspection
An independent surveyor inspects the property to assess and document the disrepair.
5
Repairs & Compensation
Your landlord arranges the necessary repairs and you receive any compensation you are owed.
£0
You pay 0 upfront
No Win No Fee Heating & Boiler Claim Solicitors
We believe everyone deserves a safe home. That's why we offer a No Win, No Fee service, so you can start your claim with nothing to pay upfront.
£0 upfront
No Win, No Fee
Regulated by the SRA
Clear, transparent costs
Free claim check
Council and housing association tenants
No Win No Fee (CFA). A success fee may apply if your claim succeeds. Available to council and housing association tenants in England and Wales.
:quality(80))
Start Your Claim
Answer a few questions to see if you're eligible
For council and housing association tenants
Our quick form takes just one minute
We only work with regulated legal experts
Question 1 of 4
25%
Where is the property located?
Section 1: Location
No Heating & Hot Water Claims: Frequently Asked Questions
There is no single legal deadline, but losing all heating counts as an emergency repair. Most councils and housing associations work to a 24 hour emergency target and 7 to 28 days for routine repairs. Being left without heating for weeks, particularly in winter or with children or older people in the home, is very unlikely to be a reasonable time.