Private housing disrepair

The way you deal with disrepair depends on who owns or rents the property. If you own your own home, you are responsible for the repair and maintenance of your property. If you pay your rent to Crawley Homes, you should contact them to request a repair. 

Request a Crawley Homes repair

If one of the following applies to you, we may be able to support you if you first go through the process with your provider and there is still disrepair.

  • If you own your home through shared ownership, check your agreement with the housing association to see who is responsible for repairs
  • If you rent your home privately, you should contact the landlord or letting agent in the first instance.
  • If you pay your rent to a housing association (also known as a registered provider), you should contact them in the first instance

We do not carry out repairs, but we can support people in private housing when the issue has not been dealt with satisfactorily by their housing provider.

Disrepair issues that we can investigate include:

  • urgent matters such as not having heating or hot water
  • dampness caused by leaking roofs, rising damp and inadequate heating
  • disrepair such as rotten windows and doors
  • broken or unsatisfactory amenities (such as bathrooms or kitchens)
  • overcrowding of properties
  • fire safety in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)

If you choose to make a complaint to us:

  • we will ask you about the disrepair (what it is and how long it’s been like that)
  • we will ask you whether you have reported the disrepair to the landlord and what the outcome was
  • if appropriate, we will carry out a formal inspection to identify and assess disrepair in the property
  • depending on the severity of any issues found, we may take informal action to try to resolve the situation, or pursue formal action
  • we will take appropriate action under the relevant legislation if the landlord does not complete the work, or does not complete the work to the required standard

How to report problems with your housing association (registered provider) property

If you are a tenant and need to report repair or maintenance issues or make a complaint, you must contact your housing association (registered provider).  Don’t contact us until you have been through these steps first.

Damp and mould

If you are experiencing damp and mould in your property and would like some advice, visit our condensation, damp and mould page.