Claim compensation if an item or product causes damage

If an item causes damage to your property without fault on your part, you may have a legal right to claim compensation (damages).

For example, a washing machine that leaks and ruins a kitchen floor is a typical fact pattern, subject to proving defect, causation and loss.

If the product has caused you a personal injury, you would normally pursue a personal injury claim. That sits outside ordinary consumer correspondence and typically needs timely input from a regulated solicitor or accredited claims adviser; limitation periods can be short.

If you have insurance

If your buildings or contents policy covers the incident, claiming on insurance can be quicker and simpler than a civil claim against a seller or producer. It can affect premiums or excess, so check the policy and compare that with pursuing the other party directly.

Working out how much compensation to ask for

Try to quantify a figure that reflects your loss fairly, for instance:

• repair or reinstatement costs you have already paid, or quotations for work still required;
• reasonable consequential losses that flow from the damage (where the law allows them in your circumstances);
• your time spent dealing with the incident, where you can sensibly ascribe a monetary value.

Courts and traders respond best to schedules backed by receipts, invoices and photographs.

Evidence and how to approach a claim

Take clear photographs of damage and keep a short chronology with dates and times. Retain originals of key documents and supply copies first. The route you emphasise depends on whether you bought the item that caused the harm.

If you bought the item that caused the damage

Start by writing or calling the trader you purchased from under the consumer contract and explain both the product issue and the damage caused. Under sale‑of‑goods protections in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and related ideas, faulty goods themes often sit alongside consequential loss discussions, although every case turns on wording and facts. See also our faulty goods overview for product quality disputes.

Example wording: The law says I am entitled to be paid damages when a faulty item causes damage to my property.

You can often include what you spent on the faulty item itself in the same claim if you have not already had a refund or replacement for that item.

If you correspond in writing, enclose copies of photos and proofs; send important letters by recorded or tracked delivery if you want proof of receipt. Keep originals.

If you did not buy the item that caused the damage — producer liability

Under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 you may, in qualifying cases, pursue the producer (typically the manufacturer/importer labelled on the goods) rather than whoever sold it to someone else — but statutory conditions apply. A frequently cited formulation is that among other requirements all of the following must be met before that route aligns with a classic “unsafe product damaging personal property over the threshold” model:

• you are claiming for more than £275 in respect of the damage (excluding the defective product itself);
• the item that caused damage was unsafe (against the statute’s product‑safety tests — not lightly assumed);
• the property damaged was not used mainly for business purposes by you (commercial loss routes differ).

In that strand you generally pursue the cost of harm, not merely the sticker price of the defective unit; distress is treated strictly in civil claims and professional review helps.

Example wording: The product has damaged my personal property; I contend I may be owed damages under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

Statutory tests, EU/UK divergence after Brexit and factual disputes about defect mean you should confirm the basis with authoritative material or regulated advice before relying on headings alone.

Smaller claims (including under £275)

Where the Producer route threshold or its conditions are not helpful, some claimants argue negligence or breach of statutory duty against the manufacturer or trader. That commonly requires showing the defendant breached a duty of care and caused your loss. A firm letter setting out facts and sums is often still worthwhile before court fees.

Example wording: The product has damaged my personal property; I believe I may be owed damages for negligence.

If your problem still is not resolved

Explore alternative dispute resolution schemes linked to your sector or Approved Trading Standards programmes where they accept your case type. Court claims (including the simplified track for modest sums) have cost and procedural rules; solicitors should advise on limitation dates and pleadings where value or complexity warrants it.

Related guides

• Return faulty goods
• Report fake or counterfeit goods
• Claim using a warranty or guarantee

All consumer resources