To aid understanding of best approach to disrepair for social landlords, with a view to reducing the burden on rent accounts and deterring use of no-win no-fee solicitors. This relates only to legal disrepair claims brought under the pre-action protocol.

1. How many homes do you own?

2. How many live housing disrepair cases are you managing? Please state if this figure does or does not include ‘dormant’ cases – i.e. those with no communication from claimant’s solicitor in 12 months or more. A case, for the purpose of this request, is any case involving a letter of claim before action for housing disrepair.

3. Is your approach generally to defend claims, or attempt early settlement?

4. For the financial years 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-23, 2023-24, can you please provide the following:
• Disrepair claims received
• Disrepair claims settled in the claimants favour (within that year, even if originally receive in a different year)
• Average cost of each claim settled in the claimants favour
• Disrepair claims settled in the defendant’s favour (within that year, even if originally receive in a different year)
• Average cost of each claim settled in the defendant’s favour
• Total annual spend on defendent costs (legal and expert)
• Total Annual Spend on claimant costs (legal and expert) and Compensation

Please include an email address if you would like a copy of the findings, which will include a claims/costs per 1000 homes, to help us better understand which approach is working well.