The Link Between Disrepair Claims and Poor Case Management

Introduction

Disrepair claims against housing providers have risen markedly in recent years, creating both financial and reputational strain across the sector. While external pressures like economic hardship, an aging housing stock, and tenant activism play a role, a significant proportion of these claims stem from internal operational failings—particularly poor case management.

From my experience consulting with housing associations, supported housing services, and student accommodation providers, it’s clear that underinvestment in digital infrastructure and reliance on fragmented processes contribute directly to the deterioration of housing stock and rising tenant dissatisfaction. It’s not just about fixing physical repairs anymore—it’s about transforming the systems behind the scenes.

Understanding Disrepair Claims

Before delving into the role of case management, it’s worth defining what disrepair claims are. Typically, these are legal claims made by tenants against their landlord alleging that their property has fallen into a state of disrepair and that the landlord has either failed to address the repairs within a reasonable time or has done so inadequately. These claims may relate to issues like:

• Damp and mould
• Faulty heating and hot water systems
• Roof leaks and structural defects
• Inadequate plumbing and drainage

While each of these issues can certainly occur independently, it’s often the slow response times, lack of transparency, missed follow-ups, and inconsistent communication that drive tenants to escalate the matter legally. At the heart of these failures is often a broken or insufficient case management process.

The Role of Poor Case Management

Case management refers to how housing providers handle repair requests, track progress, communicate with tenants, engage contractors, ensure compliance, and follow through to resolution. In many organisations, especially those with limited resources, this process is still manual or heavily reliant on legacy systems that weren’t designed for integrated service delivery.

Common Case Management Failures

• Fragmented records: Tenant interactions, repair logs, and inspection notes are stored in multiple systems—or worse, in spreadsheets or handwritten logs. This creates data silos and makes it difficult to trace the full repair history for a property or tenant.
• Slow response times: Without automated task tracking or escalation rules, repair tickets can sit unnoticed, especially when teams are understaffed.
• Lack of accountability: When ownership of cases is unclear, or there is no consistent process for handovers, tasks slip through the cracks.
• Poor tenant communication: Tenants are often left in the dark about what’s happening with their repair request, leading to frustration and deteriorating trust.
• Regulatory non-compliance: Important response timeframes and documentation can be missed, exposing providers to legal risk.

As a result, issues that might have been addressed with a timely repair often spiral into legal disputes, compensation payouts, and systemic reputational damage.

System Limitations Fuel the Problem

In dozens of digital transformation projects I’ve worked on, the root cause of operational inefficiencies typically boils down to outdated tools and disconnected services. When small or mid-sized housing providers are working with systems that haven’t evolved in ten or more years, they simply don’t have the visibility or agility to manage repairs effectively or meet tenant expectations.

Legacy Systems

Many property management systems still in use were designed in the early 2000s. They aren’t built for integrated workflows, mobile access, or real-time updates. Repairs submitted by tenants often require manual data entry, duplicated effort across multiple departments, and delays in assigning contractors.

Manual, Labour-Intensive Processes

In organisations where paper forms or spreadsheets are still being used to track repair requests, the margin for error is enormous. These methods aren’t scalable and can’t enforce the kind of structured workflows that ensure regulatory compliance and tenant satisfaction. Staff spend hours chasing updates, responding to complaints, and firefighting avoidable issues.

Integration Gaps

Even when more modern systems are in place for repairs or ticket tracking, they are frequently standalone applications with little to no integration with tenancy management, compliance tracking, or contractor systems. This means staff can’t get a holistic view of a tenant’s case history, and can’t proactively manage risks before they escalate into formal disputes.

The Compliance Pressure

England’s housing sector is seeing stronger enforcement of standards, particularly around the decent homes standard and the upcoming consumer regulation standards being reintroduced by the Regulator of Social Housing. We’ve also seen the legal implications of the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act empower tenants to raise concerns faster when they believe their property is unfit.

Poor case management makes complying with these expectations much harder. Without a reliable audit trail showing when a complaint was first raised, what actions were taken, and whether follow-up inspections occurred, landlords increasingly put themselves at risk of not just litigation but regulatory intervention.

Impact on Tenancy Satisfaction

Perhaps the most overlooked consequence of poor case management is long-term tenant dissatisfaction. In my work with supported housing teams, for instance, we’ve seen how ineffective communication during the repairs process can raise anxiety among vulnerable tenants, including the elderly and those with mental health conditions. Repairs aren’t just an operational issue—they affect well-being, tenancy security, and community trust.

Too often, housing providers look at repairs as isolated transactions. But tenants view them as part of the broader relationship they have with their housing provider. When repairs are delayed, not followed up on, or poorly communicated, it erodes that relationship quickly.

How Modern Systems Address These Gaps

While the challenges are substantial, they are not insurmountable. Across the sector, I’m seeing a shift towards smarter, integrated solutions even among small to mid-sized providers. The goal isn’t to digitise for the sake of it—but to create a sustainable, tenant-focused way of working that improves response times, increases transparency, and reduces friction for staff and tenants alike.

End-to-End Case Visibility

Modern case management platforms unify data on repairs, tenancies, compliance, and communications into a single view. This allows teams to:

• Track all tenant interactions against a single case record
• View property history and link it to any previous disrepair reports or complaints
• Escalate urgent cases with automated workflows
• Maintain a complete audit trail for regulatory and legal purposes

Workflow Automation

By setting up workflow automation, housing teams can ensure that no task is left undone. For example, if a repair request is not acknowledged within 24 hours, a reminder is automatically sent to the assigned officer. If the job is incomplete after a week, managers are alerted. These rules help enforce accountability without requiring more manual oversight.

Improved Tenant Communication

Systems that include tenant portals or SMS/email notifications keep tenants informed throughout the repair journey. Whether a contractor’s due to visit or there’s a delay in scheduling, regular updates go a long way in building trust—even if the job takes time to resolve.

Integrations that Reduce Manual Work

Integrated systems mean that once a repair is logged, the tenancy team, asset managers, and contractors all have access to live updates. This reduces double-handling of information and enables a more coordinated response.

Conclusion

The link between disrepair claims and poor case management is not abstract—it’s demonstrable across countless complaints, legal cases, and resident surveys. While tenant needs continue to evolve and regulatory expectations rise, many housing providers are still making do with outdated systems and paper-based processes that no longer serve their mission.

The good news is that digital transformation doesn’t always require a total overhaul or vast budgets. It starts with reimagining case management not as a burden, but as a central opportunity to improve tenant outcomes, reduce legal and compliance risk, and make life easier for staff on the ground.

If you need help implementing technology into your organisation or want some advice — get in touch today at info@proptechconsult.uk