Unsafe Flooring and Stairs Compensation Claims
A stair tread that gives underfoot, a handrail that comes away in your hand, floorboards you've taught the kids to step around. If your landlord has left hazards like these unrepaired after you reported them, we'll claim compensation and get them made safe before someone gets hurt.
Free 2-minute check · No Win, No Fee · SRA-regulated solicitors
What counts as unsafe flooring or stairs?
Anything underfoot that isn't safe to walk on can be disrepair: rotten or loose floorboards, collapsed or uneven flooring, broken stair treads, wobbly or missing handrails and banisters, and cracked paving on the paths and steps that come with your tenancy. In blocks of flats, hazardous communal stairways are the landlord's responsibility too.
These defects carry a direct risk of injury. A fall on a staircase can change someone's life. That risk is exactly why the law takes them seriously, whether or not anyone has been hurt yet.
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
Floors, staircases and the paths and steps outside are part of the structure your landlord must keep in repair under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. On top of that, section 4 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 makes your landlord responsible for keeping you, and anyone who visits, reasonably safe from personal injury caused by defects they knew or ought to have known about.
That means once you've reported a hazard, the clock is running. If someone is then injured because the repair never happened, your landlord is liable for that injury as well as for the disrepair itself.
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.
Unsafe Flooring and Stairs Compensation Claims: FAQs
I tripped but wasn't badly hurt. Can I still claim?
Yes. You can claim for the disrepair itself, meaning the inconvenience and risk of living with the hazard, regardless of injury. If you did suffer a minor injury, that can be claimed too. And the near-miss is worth reporting in writing: it puts your landlord firmly on notice.
My child was injured on the broken stairs. What happens?
A claim can be brought on your child's behalf, and injury to a child is treated with particular seriousness. Any compensation awarded to a child is normally held in a court-protected fund until they turn 18, so it's kept safe for them.
The hazard is on the communal staircase, not inside my flat. Who's responsible?
Your landlord. Communal hallways, stairs and entrances in a shared building must be kept safe by whoever controls them, usually the landlord or freeholder. A worn carpet, broken step or failed light on a shared staircase is a hazard they're obliged to fix.
Does the broken path outside my front door count?
Yes. The repairing duty covers the structure and exterior, which includes paths, steps and yards that form part of your tenancy. A broken or badly uneven paving slab on the route to your door is a trip hazard your landlord must put right.
How much compensation could I get for a trip or fall?
Two things are assessed. The disrepair itself is usually compensated as a percentage of your rent for the period you lived with it. Any injury is valued separately using the courts' official guidelines, plus financial losses such as time off work. Our free calculator gives you an instant estimate for the disrepair side.
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.