Author: Mohamed Sharfiras

From Structural Crisis to Settlement: How We Secured £9,000 for a Tenant Displaced by Severe Subsidence


When the ground beneath your home begins to give way, the consequences extend far beyond cracked walls and uneven floors. For one of our clients — a council tenant living with their family — what began as a structural problem spiralled into months of upheaval, uncertainty, and significant personal distress. This is the story of how we helped them secure justice, and why cases like this matter.

Case at a Glance

Structural disrepair claim resolved for council tenant and family

Settlement
£9,000

  • Primary Issues
    Severe subsidence, structural cracking, and major structural concerns
  • Duration
    Just under 2 years
  • Client
    Council tenant (with family)

The problem: when your home becomes unsafe

Subsidence is one of the most serious forms of housing disrepair a tenant can face. Unlike a leaking roof or a broken boiler — problems that cause inconvenience and discomfort — structural movement threatens the integrity of the building itself.

In this case, our client began noticing the tell-tale signs: deep, widening cracks running through internal and external walls, uneven floors, doors and windows that no longer closed properly, and a growing sense that the property simply was not safe to live in.

These are not cosmetic issues. Severe subsidence can destabilise foundations, compromise load-bearing structures, and in the worst cases, render a property completely uninhabitable.

The client reported their concerns to their landlord, as any tenant should — but the response was slow, and the situation continued to deteriorate.

The complication: being decanted from the family home

Given the severity of the structural damage, the landlord eventually accepted that the property needed significant repair works and that it was not safe for the family to remain there during that process.

The client and their family were therefore ‘decanted’ — a term used in housing law to describe the temporary relocation of a tenant while works are carried out.

In theory, decanting is a practical and reasonable step. In practice, it can be deeply disruptive.

Our client and their family were moved to an alternative address, away from their established community, their routines, and the familiar surroundings of their home. The temporary accommodation, while a roof over their heads, was not their home — and the emotional toll of that distinction should never be underestimated.

The disruption affected the entire family, and critically, the uncertainty about when the works would be completed and when they could return home created a sustained period of anxiety and stress. The mental health impact on our client was significant and formed an important part of their claim.

The financial impact: extensive special damages

Decanting a family does not simply mean giving them keys to a temporary property. It means moving belongings, arranging storage, dealing with utilities, managing post, and navigating a dozen logistical challenges — all while living somewhere that is not your own home.

In this case, the client’s possessions had to go into storage, and we played an active role in assisting them with their move back into the property once the works were complete, as well as recovering their belongings from storage.

These practical complications translated directly into financial loss.

Special damages in this case were quite extensive, reflecting the real out-of-pocket costs our client incurred as a direct consequence of the landlord’s failure to maintain the property.

When we talk about compensation in housing disrepair cases, it is not simply about putting a number on distress — it is about restoring our client, as far as money can, to the position they would have been in had the disrepair never occurred.

Standing firm: pushing back on unreasonable requests

Housing disrepair cases rarely run entirely smoothly, and this case was no exception.

Among the complications that arose was a request from the landlord that our client and their family move back into the property over the Christmas period — before it was truly appropriate or convenient to do so.

Christmas is a time of particular significance for families, and being pressured to disrupt that period to fit a landlord’s schedule — whether to manage contractor availability or reduce the cost of temporary accommodation — is something we took firm issue with on our client’s behalf.

We assisted the client in pushing back against this unreasonable request, ensuring that their interests and wellbeing remained central to all decisions about the timing of their return.

This aspect of the case is a reminder that housing disrepair claims are not simply about the physical condition of a property. They involve real people, real families, and real lives.

A good housing disrepair solicitor is not just a litigator — they are an advocate for their client in every sense of the word.

The resolution: £9,000 settlement

After just under two years — investigating the claim, gathering expert evidence on the structural issues, quantifying the special damages, and negotiating firmly on our client’s behalf — we secured a settlement of £9,000.

This sum reflects compensation for the general damages arising from the disrepair itself (the loss of amenity, the distress, and the impact on daily life and mental health), as well as the extensive special damages our client incurred as a result of their displacement.

For our client, the settlement represented not only financial recognition of what they had been through, but also a sense of closure.

They are back in their home, the structural works have been completed, and — with our help — they were able to put this difficult chapter behind them.

Think you have a housing disrepair claim?

If you are a council or housing association tenant living with disrepair — whether structural issues like subsidence, damp and mould, failing heating systems, or any other problem your landlord has failed to address — we are here to help.

Our specialist housing disrepair team acts exclusively for tenants, and we operate on a no win, no fee basis, meaning there is no financial risk to you in bringing a claim.

Get in touch today for a free, no-obligation assessment of your case.

Experiencing similar housing disrepair problems?

If your landlord has failed to address serious issues such as subsidence, structural cracking, damp or mould, you may be entitled to compensation. Our solicitors can assess your situation and help you take legal action to resolve the problem and recover damages.

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