Council & Housing Association TenantsFaulty Electrics Compensation Claims
Reported an electrical problem to your landlord and nothing has been done? Faulty electrics are a safety risk, not an inconvenience. 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.
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Electrical Problems In A Rented Property
Electrical faults are one of the few types of disrepair that can kill. Old wiring, damaged sockets, a fuse board that keeps tripping or water getting anywhere near the electrics are all treated as serious hazards, and your council or housing association has to deal with them quickly.
If an electrician has attended, made it safe and left without completing the repair, the job is not finished. Being left on a temporary fix for weeks or months is still disrepair.
Problems We See Most Often:
Sockets or switches that spark, buzz or feel hot
A fuse board that keeps tripping the power out
Exposed wiring, or sockets hanging off the wall
Lights that flicker, dim or stop working entirely
Getting a shock or tingle from a switch or appliance
A burning or fishy smell near sockets or the fuse box
Scorch marks or discoloured plates around a socket
A leak or damp reaching wiring, lights or the meter
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Is Your Landlord Responsible For The Electrics?
Yes. Your landlord owns the electrical installation and has to keep it in repair and in proper working order. That covers the wiring, the fuse board, the sockets, the switches and the fixed lighting.
A dangerous electrical fault is an emergency repair. Most councils and housing associations set themselves a 24 hour target to attend and make safe. Leaving you without power, or on a temporary fix, for weeks afterwards is not a reasonable time.
Your Landlord Is Responsible For:
The wiring, fuse board and consumer unit
Sockets, switches and fixed light fittings
Any electrical appliance they supplied with the home
Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms
Communal lighting, stairwells and door entry systems
Making a dangerous fault safe as an emergency
Completing the full repair, not just an isolation
Can I Claim For Faulty Electrics?
You May Have A Claim If:
You rent from a council or housing association
Your home is in England or Wales
You reported the electrical fault and it was not fixed
It left you unsafe, without power, or damaged your things
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Who Can Make An Electrical 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.
If you think the electrics in your home are dangerous right now, do not wait for a claim. Report it to your landlord as an emergency. If you smell burning or see sparking, call your landlord's emergency repair line, and in an emergency call 999.
The one thing to know
Electrical faults are not routine repairs. Sparking sockets, shocks and a fuse board that keeps tripping are treated as urgent, so if you reported one and were still waiting weeks later, that delay is usually the heart of a claim.
How Much Compensation For Faulty Electrics?
There is no fixed payout. Compensation for an electrical disrepair claim is usually made up of two parts.
General damages
This covers the loss of enjoyment of your home while the fault went unrepaired. Courts often work it out as a proportion of the rent you paid during that period. Rooms you could not use, or a home you did not feel safe in, push the proportion higher.
Special damages
This covers money you actually lost. Food spoiled in a fridge or freezer with no power, appliances or electronics damaged by a surge or a fault, and the cost of takeaways, launderettes or candles and batteries while you had no supply. Keep your receipts and photograph anything that was ruined.
If someone in the household received an electric shock or a burn, or a fault caused a fire, a personal injury element may also be considered.
Nobody should be living in a home where they are nervous about plugging something in.
What affects the amount
- How long the fault went unrepaired
- How dangerous the fault was
- How many rooms or sockets were affected
- Whether you were left with no power at all
- Whether children or older people live in the home
- The value of food and appliances you lost
- Whether anyone was hurt
- 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.
Are Landlords Responsible For Electrical Problems?
Yes. Your council or housing association has to keep the electrical installation in repair and keep your home safe to live in. These are the duties that matter most when the electrics fail.
Section 11, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
Your landlord must keep the installations for the supply of electricity in repair and proper working order. That covers the wiring, the consumer unit, the sockets, the switches and the fixed lighting. A tenancy agreement cannot sign this duty away.
Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018
Your home must be fit to live in for the whole of your tenancy. Dangerous electrics, or a home you cannot safely power, can make a property legally unfit, and you can take your landlord to court directly under this Act.
You are never expected to sort the electrics out yourself. Wiring, sockets and fuse boards have to be worked on by a qualified electrician your landlord arranges, so being told to get someone in, buy your own parts or just stop using that socket is not a repair.
Awaab's Law deadlines
24 hours
An electrical fault that puts you at risk is an emergency hazard and must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours.
30 Nov 2026
Electrical hazards come under Awaab's Law from 30 November 2026, with fixed deadlines of their own.
Reasonable time
Section 11 already requires your landlord to keep the electrical installation in repair, within a reasonable time.
Housing Health and Safety Rating System
Electrical hazards and fire are both recognised hazards under the Housing Act 2004. Your council's environmental health team can inspect the property and order your landlord to put it right. If your landlord is the council itself, environmental health cannot serve notice on them, but the Housing Ombudsman can still take up your complaint.
Electrical safety checks and the EICR
An Electrical Installation Condition Report, or EICR, is the inspection that confirms the wiring in a property is safe. Private landlords in England have had to get one at least every 5 years since the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 came in.
Those particular regulations were written for the private rented sector, so they do not place the same 5 yearly duty on social landlords. Your council or housing association still has to keep the installation in repair and safe under Section 11 and the Fitness for Human Habitation Act, and the government has committed to extending mandatory electrical safety checks to social housing. If you have asked for a copy of your home's electrical safety record and been refused, note the date you asked.
Awaab's Law
Awaab's Law sets fixed legal deadlines for social landlords in England. The first phase, from 27 October 2025, covers damp and mould. From 30 November 2026 it widens to further hazards including fire and electrical safety, which will put hard deadlines on your landlord for electrical faults for the first time.
Can a landlord cut off your electricity?
No. Deliberately cutting off or interfering with your electricity supply is not a repair issue, it is harassment, and it is a criminal offence under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. That is true whether your landlord is trying to force you out, pressure you over rent arrears, or simply refusing to reconnect. Report it to your council's tenancy relations or environmental health team straight away.
What to do if your landlord will not fix the electrics
- Report it in writing by email, letter or the tenant portal, and keep a copy
- Say clearly that you believe it is dangerous, and ask for it as an emergency
- Photograph the fault, any scorch marks and any notice an electrician left behind
- Keep a diary of every date you chased, who attended and what they did
- Ask in writing for a copy of the most recent electrical safety report
- Keep receipts for spoiled food, replacement appliances and anything you had to buy
- 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 An Electrical Disrepair Claim
From your first enquiry to getting repairs done and compensation paid, here's what to expect.
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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.
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No Win No Fee Electrical Disrepair 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.
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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.
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Faulty Electrics Claims: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 your landlord must keep the installations for the supply of electricity in repair and proper working order. That covers the wiring, the fuse board, the sockets, the switches and the fixed lighting, plus any appliance they supplied with the home. They cannot pass that duty on to you in the tenancy agreement.