A Labour council is contacting its social housing tenants to report their repair problems to their landlord and not through lawyers.

York council says the plea is being made because legal firms are allegedly targeting social housing tenants in the city – with one example leaving the renter almost £8,000 out of pocket.

‘No win, no fee’ legal firms press tenants to make claims against the council for failing to repair their home or not doing it well enough. What the council calls “unsolicited and unaccredited ‘surveyors’ have been reported going door to door, cajoling tenants to make compensation claims against their landlord.” 

The tenants’  information is then allegedly sold on to legal firms for their own gain, with some suggesting that they work for the council, when they do not. 

A ‘no win, no fee’ case by a tenant against the council was heard in York County Court recently, but was dismissed by the District Judge who ordered the unsuccessful tenant to pay costs of £7,964.75.

This follows another unsuccessful ‘no win, no fee’ case against the council in 2023 which left that tenant being ordered by a judge to pay costs of £10,409.72.

The council is urging any tenant approached by people touting for this work to instead talk rot their housing management officer, call the police or contact Trading Standards.

A council spokesperson says: “We strive to get repairs done quickly and efficiently and 86% of them are completed on a first visit. Our tenants are always invited to talk to officers about any repairs needed, or any delay or dissatisfaction with them.

“We are committed to making good any repairs for which we are responsible, and our ongoing and significant housing repair programme is upgrading and modernising homes.

“These claims against the Council mean that everyone loses – except for these legal firms – and have left tenants owing £1,000s in court costs. The time and money spent by the Council to defend these claims could be better invested in tenants’ homes.”