Getting Repairs Done
Your rights when things break, your landlord's legal responsibilities, and what to do if they won't fix things.
Who Is Responsible for What?
Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, your landlord has a legal obligation to keep certain parts of the property in good repair. This applies to all tenancies of less than seven years, regardless of what the tenancy agreement says. The landlord cannot contract out of these responsibilities.
Your landlord is responsible for: the structure and exterior of the property (including walls, roof, windows, and external doors), installations for the supply of water, gas, and electricity (including pipes, drains, gutters, basins, sinks, baths, and toilets), installations for space heating and water heating (including boilers and radiators), and common areas in blocks of flats.
As a tenant, you are generally responsible for: keeping the property reasonably clean and tidy, minor maintenance tasks such as changing light bulbs and smoke alarm batteries, reporting any repair issues to your landlord promptly, not causing deliberate or negligent damage, and looking after the garden if the tenancy agreement requires it.
How to Report a Repair
Report It in Writing
Always report repair issues in writing, even if you also mention it verbally. Email is the best method because it creates a timestamped record. Describe the problem clearly, include photographs if possible, and state that you are requesting the repair under the landlord's obligations. Keep copies of all correspondence.
Allow Reasonable Time for Response
There are no fixed legal timescales for repairs, but what counts as "reasonable" depends on the urgency. Emergency repairs (no heating in winter, a burst pipe, a gas leak) should be addressed within 24 hours. Urgent but non-emergency repairs (a broken washing machine, a leaking roof) should be dealt with within a few days to a week. Non-urgent repairs (a cracked tile, a sticking door) might reasonably take two to four weeks.
Follow Up If Nothing Happens
If the landlord does not respond or arrange repairs within a reasonable time, send a follow-up letter or email. Reference your original request and the date it was made. Give a clear deadline for the repair to be completed. Keep your tone factual and professional. This correspondence could become evidence if the matter escalates.
What to Do If Your Landlord Won't Repair
If your landlord ignores your repair requests or refuses to carry out their legal obligations, you have several options. Start with the least confrontational approach and escalate as needed.
Contact your local council's environmental health team. They have the power to inspect your property and, if they find hazards, can serve an improvement notice or prohibition order on the landlord. This is a free service and can be very effective. The council uses the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to assess hazards and can require the landlord to carry out works within a specified timeframe.
Take court action under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. You can apply to the county court for an order requiring the landlord to make the property fit for habitation. The court can also award you compensation. This route does not require you to go through the council first, and legal aid may be available depending on your circumstances.
Apply for a Rent Repayment Order. If your landlord has committed certain housing offences (such as failing to comply with an improvement notice), you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a Rent Repayment Order, requiring the landlord to repay up to 12 months' rent.
Emergency Repairs
Some repairs are genuine emergencies that require immediate action. These include gas leaks (call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999), total loss of heating or hot water in cold weather, burst pipes or major flooding, dangerous electrical faults, and problems that make the property insecure (such as a broken front door lock).
For gas leaks, do not wait for the landlord. Call the Gas Emergency Service immediately, open windows, do not use any electrical switches, and leave the property if you smell gas strongly. Your landlord must have a valid Gas Safety Certificate and have the gas appliances inspected annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
If the landlord is not contactable in an emergency, you may need to arrange the repair yourself. Keep all receipts. You may be able to deduct reasonable emergency repair costs from future rent, but seek legal advice before doing this, as it can be complicated. It is better to pay the cost and pursue reimbursement separately.
Retaliatory Eviction Protection
Under the Deregulation Act 2015, if you have made a written complaint about the condition of your property and the landlord has not responded adequately, the local council can serve a relevant notice on the landlord. If such a notice is served, the landlord cannot evict you using a Section 21 notice for six months from the date of the notice. This is known as retaliatory eviction protection.
Even without council involvement, a court can refuse to grant possession on a Section 21 notice if it is satisfied that the landlord served the notice because the tenant raised a legitimate repair complaint. This protection exists to ensure tenants can exercise their rights without fear of losing their home.
Damp and Mould
Damp and mould are among the most common repair issues in UK rental properties. Following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak in 2020 from exposure to mould in a social housing property, the government introduced "Awaab's Law," which sets strict timescales for social landlords to investigate and fix damp and mould hazards.
While Awaab's Law currently applies to social housing, private landlords also have a duty to address damp and mould under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. If your landlord claims that damp is caused by your "lifestyle" (not opening windows enough, drying clothes indoors), be aware that this is often incorrect. Structural issues such as poor insulation, lack of adequate ventilation, and penetrating damp from building defects are the landlord's responsibility to fix.