Housing statistics
Case reference FOI2026/02177
Received 8 October 2026
Published 10 November 2026
Request
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, could you please provide the following information regarding council housing disrepair reports, formal legal claims brought against the council by tenants, and the associated compensation and legal costs.
Please provide the following information for the financial years 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26:
1. The total number of formal housing disrepair complaints or reports logged by tenants.
2. A breakdown of these reports by primary category of disrepair (e.g. damp and mould, structural defects/leaks, heating/boiler failures, electrical issues, or pest infestations etc.)
3. The total number of households/tenants who were required to be temporarily or permanently rehomed or moved into alternative accommodation (such as hotels, temporary council properties, or emergency housing) due to the severity of the disrepair or health hazards in their homes.
4. The total number of housing disrepair legal claims filed against the council by tenants/former tenants, and the total amount paid out in compensation.
Response
Thank you for your recent request under the Freedom of Information Act.
Please find the response to your queries below:
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, could you please provide the following information regarding council housing disrepair reports, formal legal claims brought against the council by tenants, and the associated compensation and legal costs.
Please provide the following information for the financial years 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26:
1. The total number of formal housing disrepair complaints or reports logged by tenants.
Information regarding the total number of complaints received by the Council for the financial years 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 is publicly available via the following link:
In particular, see pages 36 and 68 of the above document for a breakdown specific to number of responsive repairs carried out and to complaint numbers.
As such, the information you require can be found from publicly available sources and consequentially under Section 21 of the Act, we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible.
2. A breakdown of these reports by primary category of disrepair (e.g. damp and mould, structural defects/leaks, heating/boiler failures, electrical issues, or pest infestations etc.)
More detailed information about complaints and housing disrepair data can be found in our Housing Operations Board reports, which are publicly available via the following links:
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=1376
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeId=1376
In particular, please see the Agenda Reports packs which are filed against each separate meeting for further information.
As such, the information you require can be found from publicly available sources and consequentially under Section 21 of the Act, we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible.
Please note that the information held within the Corporate Performance and Housing Operations Board reports is the only data we hold in relation to the above two points and we do not hold a breakdown of complaints by specific disrepair category.
3. The total number of households/tenants who were required to be temporarily or permanently rehomed or moved into alternative accommodation (such as hotels, temporary council properties, or emergency housing) due to the severity of the disrepair or health hazards in their homes.
We only hold this information in relation to the formal housing disrepair legal claims filed against the Council. Please find this information detailed in the tables below.
4. The total number of housing disrepair legal claims filed against the council by tenants/former tenants, and the total amount paid out in compensation.
Details of housing disrepair legal claims filed against the Council, broken down by primary disrepair reason, decants and compensation:
2023/24:
|
Primary Disrepair Reason 2024/25 |
Number of Cases by Primary Disrepair Reason |
Total Number of Decants |
Compensation / Damages Paid |
|
Damp & Mould |
4 |
£5,982.60 |
|
|
Internal leak |
1 |
1 |
£1,600.00 |
|
Tree roots causing cracks in garden patio and problems with external drains |
1 |
£0.00 |
|
|
Structural defects* |
2 |
1 |
£6,830.60 |
|
Suspected asbestos |
1 |
£0.00 |
|
|
Grand Total |
9 |
2 |
£14,413.20 |
2024/25:
|
Primary Disrepair Reason 2024/25 |
Number of Cases by Primary Disrepair Reason |
Total Number of Decants |
Compensation / Damages Paid |
|
Damp & mould |
5 |
1 |
£5,525.40 |
|
Defective boiler/heating system |
1 |
£0.00 |
|
|
Drainage issues / water damage |
1 |
1 |
£1,500.00 |
|
Internal leak |
2 |
£2,220.40 |
|
|
Electrical issues |
1 |
1 |
£1,600.00 |
|
Structural defects* |
5 |
£19,665.00 |
|
|
Grand Total |
15 |
3 |
£30,510.80 |
2025/26:
|
Primary Disrepair Reason 2025/26 |
Number of Cases by Primary Disrepair Reason |
Total Number of Decants |
Compensation / Damages Paid |
|
Damp & Mould |
13 |
2 |
£18,000.00 |
|
Defective boiler/heating system |
3 |
1 |
£2,500.00 |
|
Electrical issues |
1 |
£0.00 |
|
|
Internal leak |
4 |
1 |
£4,050.00 |
|
Structural defects* |
8 |
5 |
£53,002.78 |
|
Grand Total |
29 |
9 |
£77,552.78 |
*N.B. structural defects can include disrepair such as defective, faulty or badly fitting windows/doors, cracks in interior/external walls, defective plaster, issues with drainage pipes, roof/chimney issues.
Yours sincerely
FOI Team
Guildford Borough Council
Documents
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