Avoid Housing Disrepair Claim Scams & Stay Safe

Nehemiah is aware that some of our tenants have been contacted by companies claiming to be housing disrepair specialists and encouraging individuals to make housing disrepair claims – however, these firms are often not what they seem and nor are they acting in your best interests.

If you’ve been emailed or called by claims companies, had people knock on your door, or received leaflets regarding housing disrepair claims, be wary – make sure you contact us direct before taking any action we are here to support you.  

It is important that all our tenants know that we are here to support them and should tenants encounter any issues with their home they should contact our Repair Line straight away, so we can fix the issue for you as soon as possible.  We want everyone to live in comfortable, safe housing.

Please remember we have a dedicated repairs line for any repairs that are required to your home including emergency repairs. You can report a repair here

What Are Housing Disrepair Claims?

Disrepair claims happen when a landlord fails to handle repairs properly after being notified of the issue.

At Nehemiah, we are committed to our tenants’ wellbeing and encourage all tenants to report any disrepair issues to us as soon as possible so that we can fix the problem as quickly as possible.

What Are Housing Disrepair Scams?

Claims management companies encourage people to make claims for disrepair in their homes. However, many of these companies are motivated by making money and will not put your needs or best interests first.

Often, a scam involves a company doing some or all of the below:

• Claiming to be from Nehemiah or working on behalf of the association, when they have no connections to us at all
• Advertising on social media or via leaflets, emails and knocking on doors
• Making big claims about the compensation you could win
• Stating the service is based on no-win no-fees, when there are hidden costs
• Giving a small amount of compensation if the claim is successful

How To Avoid Disrepair Scams

We want our tenants to feel safe in their homes.

To minimise the risk of falling for a disrepair scam, we advise the following:

• If someone calls are your home claiming to be from Nehemiah Housing, please check their ID badge. Only allow Nehemiah staff into your home after they’ve shown you their ID badge. All our staff carry identification badges that verify they work for Nehemiah – you should always ask to see ID and if you are in doubt, don’t let them in.
• Don’t hand over personal information over to anyone. Your personal information can be used for identity theft and fraud.
• Don’t pay anything upfront.
• Always check for hidden costs.
• Check any documentation and seek legal advice if possible – you can access free legal advice through Citizen’s Advice Bureau, for example.
• Don’t sign anything until without understanding what is involved as you may end up paying the costs yourselves.
• If in doubt, contact us on 0121 358 0966 or speak to your Housing Officer.

For more information on claims scams, visit the Housing Ombudsman Service website.

If you think you might be a victim of a scam or fraud, contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit their website.

Nehemiah Is Here To Help & Support

We’ve had reports of tenants being left in debt after signing a contract to make a claim with these companies – we want to make sure you don’t fall for a housing disrepair scam.

If you have a disrepair issue in your home, report it directly to us on 0800 849 1400 or from a mobile on 03030 30 1000. You can find out more about reporting a repair, here.

We want to ensure that your home is safe and comfortable and will work swiftly to resolve any issue in your home.

You are not alone and we are here to help – if you want to discuss a disrepair issue in your home or you’re worried you might have fallen for a scam, you can contact your Housing Officer or call us on 0121 358 0966 or email contact@nehemiah.co.uk and we will do all we can to help and support you.