Housing Law

Leading Housing Solicitors

Our housing solicitors will take the time to understand your situation and deal with your case sympathetically and will fight on your behalf to get you the best outcome possible.

Our specialist and dedicated team of housing rights solicitors are passionate about defending the rights of those with housing issues and who require housing law advice. Our experienced team of housing solicitors can advise you on all aspects of housing rights including bringing disrepair claims, defending possession proceedings, homelessness reviews and appeals, unlawful evictions and the lawful allocation of social housing. Our team of housing solicitors will deal with your case sympathetically and will fight on your behalf to get the best outcome possible for you.

HJA Chambers firm logo 2025Our Housing legal team has been ranked in Band 1 in the Chambers UK 2025 legal directory. The team were praised for  their “outstanding level of expertise, the client service and second to none care.

Legal 500 UK - Top Tier Firm-2025

“This is one of the leading teams of solicitors in social housing law in England. They regularly take on high-profile and challenging cases in homelessness, allocation of social housing, possession, and disrepair claims.” – Legal 500, 2025

 

We can help.

0330 822 3451

or request a callback.

    Housing legal advice services

    Our specialist housing solicitors have expertise in a broad range of housing legal matters including:

    Housing Disrepair Claims

    We understand how disruptive disrepair in your home can be, especially if your landlord has refused to sort repairs or has failed to keep the house in repair. Our team of housing disrepair specialists will endeavour to get you quick results wherever possible to get your landlord to complete repairs to your home which fall within their responsibility.

    Defending Possession Proceedings

    Our compassionate and expert team are well known for representing tenants facing claims for possession of their homes. We can also help if you own your home and your mortgage lender seeks possession. At Hodge Jones & Allen, we understand how difficult and stressful this situation can be and will fight to protect your rights and obtain the best outcome possible for you.

    Unlawful Evictions

    If you are evicted from your home without a court order, or are being harassed or threatened by your landlord we can assist you with obtaining an injunction against your landlord to re-permit you access to the property.

    Homelessness Reviews & Appeals

    We understand that getting the help you need can be difficult if you are homeless or threatened with homelessness. Our housing solicitors are recognised leaders in this field will approach your case sensitively and provide you with clear advice to help you understand your position.

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    How do I make a housing disrepair claim?

    Speak to your landlord before pursuing a claim. If they don’t respond in a reasonable time, you may have a housing disrepair claim.

    Contact our specialist housing solicitors for a free initial assessment and to discuss your funding options.

    Our team will assess your case for legal merits and then if there is a legal case, we will allocate it to one of our experienced housing solicitors to deal with your matter.

    We’ll talk through your options and provide you with the best approach for a successful solution.

    Call our expert housing lawyers on
    0330 822 3451
    or request a callback.
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    No Win No Fee housing claims

    One funding option we can discuss with you is a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) more commonly known as ‘No Win No Fee’. This allows you to bring a disrepair housing claim, without the need to pay any solicitors’ fees upfront.

    Our expert housing legal team will assess your claim and check if you’re eligible for this funding option. If you want to know more about funding your case with a No Win No Fee agreement, please speak with one of our specialist housing solicitors.

    "My solicitor was very helpful, always provided a prompt response to email or telephone calls. I would definitely recommend to anyone who needs support."

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    Why choose Hodge Jones & Allen solicitors to help you with your housing issues?

    The firm has over 47 years’ experience in asserting clients’ rights, and we deal with a wide range of housing issues including housing disrepair, possession, homelessness, unlawful eviction and anti-social behaviour injunctions.

    Our specialist housing solicitors will handle your case with expertise, discretion and the utmost sensitivity. We’re entirely committed to achieving the best result for all our clients, supporting them through the process and will work hard to get justice for you.

    We are proud to be able to assist people with a wide range of needs, circumstances and from all backgrounds. Our primary objective is to always achieve the best possible results for our clients.

    Our housing solicitors are committed to social justice and where eligible, we are able to fund work through legal aid.

    Our expert housing solicitors have an excellent track record for successfully challenging authorities and resolving claims quickly with a vast experience dealing with an array of housing legal claims. We will take the time to understand your situation and deal with your case sympathetically and will fight on your behalf to get you the best outcome possible.

    We are independently ranked as a Band 1 firm for housing law by Chambers & Partners UK.

    "The team at HJA showed empathy and the highest level of professionalism to my situation, and turned around a possible injustice."

    "The lawyers are very friendly and quick to reply. They solved my case really quickly and kept me informed of everything along the way."

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    Jayesh Kunwardia
    Jayesh Kunwardia
    Partner
    Edward Sharp
    Edward Sharp
    Partner
    Farzana Chowdhury
    Farzana Chowdhury
    Partner
    Sioned Wyn Roberts
    Sioned Wyn Roberts
    Partner
    Elisabeth Garrett
    Senior Paralegal
    Gregory Horne
    Gregory Horne
    Solicitor
    Imran Sarfraz
    Imran Sarfraz
    Associate
    Jacob Bartholomew-Smith
    Jacob Bartholomew-Smith
    Senior Paralegal
    Mandhir Seera
    Trainee
    Mubashar Khurshid
    Solicitor
    Rabiah Farooq
    Rabiah Farooq
    Trainee
    Robyn Brett
    Robyn Brett
    Solicitor
    Ruth Kelliher
    Solicitor
    Tess Baker
    Tess Baker
    Solicitor

    Featured Cases

    Housing Rights
    Our client's landlord issued a claim for possession on the grounds that there were alleged rent arrears exceeding £30,000. We defended our client on the basis that the actual arrears were a fraction of that alleged, and in brought a counterclaim for breach of quiet enjoyment, harassment, and disrepair. The premises suffered from water penetration, defective windows, and internal leaking. The landlord had failed to carry out the requisite repairs and had harassed our client to force him to pay the alleged outstanding rent and/or vacate the property. The landlord made regular threats of violence, switched off the gas and electricity supply by deliberately damaging the pipes, let himself into the premises without giving notice to the tenant and changed the locks. The possession claim was struck out and our client secured damages of £26,650, plus interest.
    type of claim
    Unlawful Eviction
    damages awarded
    £26,650 + interest
    Housing Rights
    We acted for a client after his social landlord, Genesis, sought to evict him. However, the background to the claim strongly suggested the real reason for the claim was alleged anti-social behaviour by the client. The client sought advice from two other firms, but both advised he had no defence. After a date for eviction was set, we represented him in our capacity as duty solicitor. We satisfied the judge that our client had a seriously arguable defence on Article 8/Public Law grounds and a timetable was set for trial. In compliance with the directions, we obtained a psychiatric assessment of our client that confirmed he suffered with developmental dyslexia and was disabled for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010. We continued to comply with the court timetable. We also entered into negotiations regarding settlement with Genesis and we successfully settled the claim with a general adjournment. The client retained his home.
    type of claim
    Eviction
    result
    eviction dropped
    Housing Rights
    The client approached HJA after receiving a 'not in priority need' decision from Kensington and Chelsea. Our client suffers from mental health problems, is a victim of domestic abuse and suffered a miscarriage after being temporarily housed by the council in 2020. Following her miscarriage, the council found she wasn't in priority need, but failed to take into account that she's a victim of domestic abuse. We overturned their decision, however, they then found she was intentionally homeless from her last settled accommodation due to being evicted. We made further representations on her case, as the property wouldn't have been reasonable for her to continue occupying regardless of the eviction, as she was a victim of harassment here and her whereabouts were discovered by the perpetrator. The council finally concluded in our client’s favour and have accepted the main housing duty towards her.
    type of claim
    Unsuitable Accommodation
    result
    main housing duty was provided
    Housing Rights
    Appeal settled on the basis that when finding accommodation suitable for our client to occupy, the council had ignored the impact of anti-social behaviour on the client, particularly given her disabilities.
    nature of injury
    Unsuitable accommodation
    result
    appeal settled
    Housing Rights
    We represented a client in a possession action on the basis of rent arrears. The opponent’s son who managed the claim on her behalf was very difficult and had to be issued with a harassment warning during the course of proceedings. His lack of experience led to significant delays and to matters being unnecessarily litigious. Despite multiple attempts at settlement the matter proceeded to trial where we successfully opposed the son taking part on the basis that he was neither the claimant nor did he have rights of audience. Our application for summary judgement was heard as a prelim issue and was successful meaning the rest of the afternoon was spent calculating quantum. The possession claim was dismissed and client has retained her tenancy, she has also received around £4,000 in compensation for disrepair.
    nature of injury
    Housing Disrepair
    damages awarded
    £4,000
    Housing Law
    Our social tenant was unable to use their bedroom, such was the severity of the damp and mould. A surveyor found the bedroom to be unfit for human habitation. We assisted our client to achieve an order have the works carried out and compensation of £6500.
    type of claim
    Housing Disrepair
    result
    Works and Compensation
    Housing Law
    Our social housing tenants suffered from severe mould throughout their house, uneven flooring and inadequate ventilation. They were also forced to bathe using a bucket to avoid the shower leaking onto the bathroom tiles, which were deteriorating due to lack of repair and mould growth. We negotiated a settlement after issuing the claim in court. The landlord paid compensation of £10,000 and agreed to complete all works within 120 days.
    type of claim
    Housing Disrepair
    Result
    Works agreed and compensation paid
    Housing Law
    We represented a social tenant in a claim for disrepair after the landlord failed to repair significant water damage and a persistent leak, which rendered the home unfit for human habitation. We obtained an Order requiring the landlord to carry out the repairs and to pay our client compensation of £18,000.
    Type of claim
    Disrepair
    result
    Works and Damages of £18,000
    Housing Law
    We represented a client in a claim for disrepair after the social landlord had failed to repair an internal leaking pipe within a child’s bedroom which had led to gradual and significant damp and mould, ruined the carpets and had started to effect the adjoining bedroom. The claim was settled at the pre-action stage with the works agreed and compensation of £4,600 paid.
    Type of claim
    Disrepair
    Result
    Works agreed and Compensation paid
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    Frequently asked questions

    Will I be evicted if my landlord takes me to court?

    This will depend on your tenancy agreement and the reason that the landlord is seeking possession. If you have an assured or secure tenancy, the court will not order possession unless grounds to do so have been proved and in many cases, only if it reasonable to do so.

    Although private tenants have less secure tenancies, there are often valid defences which can be put forward to avoid being evicted. We can advise you further in this regard.

    What can I do about poor conditions in a property?

    All landlords, including local authorities, housing associations and private landlords, have a legal duty to maintain their property in an adequate state of repair and to ensure they’re fit for human habitation.

    They must also ensure that any defects in the property don’t pose a threat to the safety of tenants. If the property’s condition is unacceptable then we can help advise you on the best course of action.

    This might include applying for a court order requiring the council or landlord to put things right. The court can also award you compensation where repairs have been delayed for no good reason and impose fines on landlords who don’t maintain their property correctly.

     

    What is the cost for a housing claim?

    Housing legal claims can differ in cost. Our expert housing solicitors will clearly set out all your funding options as soon as we know the details of your case. We will never incur costs on your behalf without your full agreement and knowledge.

    If you’re not entitled to public funding, we can discuss other ways of funding your case, including private arrangements or a ‘Conditional Fee Arrangement’, (often described as ‘no win, no fee’).

    Further Reading
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