Step one: move everything into writing
If you have been chasing by phone, stop and put everything in writing. A written record of each report and follow-up is what allows you to demonstrate a pattern of being ignored. Send a clear, dated email or portal message summarising the problem, when you first reported it, and what has happened since.
Step two: build the pattern of inaction
Being ignored is itself part of your case, but only if you can show it. Record every contact and every silence: the dates you reported the problem, each follow-up, each promised inspection, each missed appointment, and each period where nothing happened.
From the very first sign of a problem, keep your own records. Save photographs, note the dates, record any health impacts, keep every message from your landlord, and build a clear timeline. Storing everything in one place — a Housing Issue Case File — is what turns scattered notes into a record that is easy to follow and hard to ignore.
Step three: raise a formal complaint
Most landlords and housing associations have a formal complaints procedure, usually with two stages. Raising a formal complaint moves your issue out of the day-to-day repairs queue and onto a process with defined steps and timescales. State clearly that you wish your complaint to be handled under the formal procedure, and reference your full history of contact.
Step four: escalate beyond the landlord
If the formal complaints process is exhausted without resolution, you may be able to escalate further — for social housing tenants, to the Housing Ombudsman. New rules under Awaab's Law are also introducing specific timescales for social landlords to investigate and act on damp and mould. At this stage, a complete documented history is essential; investigators and advisers work from records, not recollections.
Why a documented case changes the outcome
A landlord can dismiss a frustrated phone call. It is much harder to dismiss a clear, dated record showing exactly when a problem was reported, how often it was chased, which inspections were missed, and how the household's health was affected. Organised evidence shifts the conversation from 'he said, she said' to a documented account that speaks for itself.