Structural Defect Compensation Claims
Cracks you could fit a coin into, doors that have started to stick, a ceiling that sags a little more each month. Structural problems rarely fix themselves. If your landlord has ignored one you've reported, we'll claim compensation and force the repairs through.
Free 2-minute check · No Win, No Fee · SRA-regulated solicitors
What counts as a structural defect?
A structural defect is a fault in the fabric of the building itself: the foundations, walls, floors, ceilings or roof. Wide or growing cracks (especially diagonal ones stepping through brickwork), walls that bulge or lean, doors and windows that have started sticking, and floors that slope or feel unstable can all point to something serious, including subsidence.
These are among the most serious forms of disrepair because they put your safety at risk, and they rarely improve on their own. A landlord who leaves them unaddressed is gambling with your home and your family.
Evidence that strengthens your claim
No photos? Nothing in writing? We can still help. But anything you can dig out now makes your claim stronger:
- Photos and videos of the problem, however rough
- Anything you've sent your landlord: emails, letters, texts
- GP or hospital records, if your health suffered
- Receipts or photos of ruined belongings
Your landlord's legal responsibility
The structure and exterior of your home sit at the heart of your landlord's repairing duty under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 requires the property to be sound enough to live in safely. Under the Defective Premises Act 1972, your landlord also owes you a duty to keep you reasonably safe from injury caused by defects they know about.
Once a structural problem is reported, your landlord should treat it with urgency, normally starting with a proper inspection. Ignoring it, or sending someone round to fill the cracks and repaint, is not a repair. If that's what has happened, you're likely to have a claim.
What a successful claim gets you
Compensation
A payment for what you've had to live with, usually worked out as a percentage of your rent, plus money back for ruined belongings: clothes, furniture, carpets and more.
The repairs, completed
A binding commitment that forces your landlord to fix the problem properly. No more promises, no more missed appointments.
Structural Defect Compensation Claims: FAQs
How do I tell a cosmetic crack from a structural one?
Thin, vertical cracks in the plaster are usually cosmetic. Cracks that are wide enough to fit a coin into, run diagonally or step through the brickwork, appear around windows and doors, or keep growing are warning signs of something structural. If you're not sure, don't guess. An independent surveyor inspects the property as part of your claim.
My landlord says it's just normal settlement. Can I still claim?
Minor settlement in newer buildings is normal, but cracks that keep growing, doors and windows that have started sticking, or movement in an older property are not something a landlord can wave away. If the problem is ongoing, they have a duty to investigate it properly, and an expert report will establish what's really going on.
Do I need my own structural engineer's report before claiming?
No. You don't need to pay for anything to start a claim. As part of the process, an independent surveyor or structural engineer is instructed to inspect your home and produce a formal report. That becomes the expert evidence your case is built on.
What if the repairs are so big I have to move out?
If your home can't safely be lived in while the works are done, the cost of somewhere suitable to stay falls to your landlord, not you. Councils and housing associations usually arrange a temporary move themselves, known as a decant. With a private landlord, the cost of suitable alternative accommodation is claimed as part of your case.
How much compensation could I get for structural defects?
Compensation is usually a percentage of your rent for the period you lived with the problem, typically 25% to 50%, and up to 100% where the property was effectively uninhabitable. Because structural defects are at the serious end of the scale, awards tend to sit higher. Our free calculator gives you an instant estimate.
See how much you could claim
Answer a few quick questions about your rent, the problems and how long you've lived with them, and you'll get an instant estimate. Confidential, no obligation, no pressure.