Check if your landlord has to do repairs

Check if this advice applies to you

This advice will usually apply to you if you rent from:

• a private landlord and you don’t live with them

• the council

• a housing association

Your landlord has to fix most repair problems in your home. There are also things you’re responsible for fixing yourself.

If you already know what type of problem you have, you can:

• check what to do if your home has damp

• check what to do if your home is infested with pests or vermin

• check what to do if there's a leak from your neighbour

• check how to deal with flooding

Repairs your landlord must do

Your landlord is responsible for most major repairs to your home. This includes:

• the structure of the property, for example walls, roof, windows and doors

• sinks, baths, toilets

• pipes and wiring

• heating and hot water, for example the boiler

• the safety of gas and electrical appliances

These repair responsibilities can't be removed by anything your tenancy agreement says. Also, your landlord isn't allowed to pass on the cost of any repair work to you which is their responsibility.

Your landlord only has to make repairs when they know there’s a problem - so make sure you tell them about any repairs that are needed.

Your landlord might have to make reasonable adjustments to the property - for example, if you’re disabled and need a handrail to help you get upstairs. Check how to ask for reasonable adjustments if you're disabled.

You should check your tenancy agreement to find out if your landlord is responsible for any other repairs. For example, they might be responsible for repairing appliances they’ve provided, like a washing machine or fridge.

If your landlord isn’t responsible for repairing an appliance they’ve provided, you can still ask them to repair or replace it - but they don’t have to agree.

If you rent from the council or a housing association

Your landlord also has to meet a safety and quality standard. This is called the ‘Decent Homes Standard’. For example, they must make sure your home is safe and secure.

If your landlord doesn’t meet this standard, you can complain to them.

If you live in a 'house in multiple occupation' (HMO)

You’II usually be living in an HMO if you live in a shared house, bedsit or hostel with 2 or more people who aren’t part of the same family.

Your landlord has extra legal responsibilities on things like:

• fire and general safety

• water supply and drainage

• gas and electricity

• waste disposal

• the general upkeep of your home

Check how to complain about the condition of your shared house.

If you're not sure what repairs your landlord must do

If you need help working out what your landlord must do, you can talk to an adviser.

If your home isn’t safe to live in

Your home might be ‘unfit for human habitation’ - this includes shared parts of the building like entrance halls and stairs.

Your landlord has to make sure your home is fit for human habitation. This applies to most types of tenancy.

Your home might be unfit for human habitation if for example:

• it has a serious problem with damp or mould

• it gets much too hot or cold

• there are too many people living in it

• it’s infested with pests like rats or cockroaches

• it doesn’t have a safe water supply

It doesn’t matter if the problem was there at the start of the tenancy or only appeared later.

Make sure to tell your landlord about any repairs that are needed. Your landlord only has to do the repairs when they know there’s a problem - unless it’s a problem with a part of the building your landlord still controls, like the roof or the entrance hall.

Your landlord doesn’t have to make sure your home i’s fit for human habitation if you caused the problem by:

• not looking after your home properly - for example not using the extractor fan after having a shower

• doing something unreasonable - for example leaving candles burning when you go out

If you think your home isn’t fit for human habitation or you’re not sure, talk to an adviser.

If your landlord’s behaviour caused you injury or damage

If there’s a repair problem in your home that your landlord knows or should know about, they have to protect you from injury or damage caused by it. For example, if your landlord knew about a crack in the ceiling and didn’t fix it, they’re responsible if the ceiling collapsed and hurt you or damaged your belongings.

Your landlord also needs to make sure their behaviour isn’t causing you injury or damage. For example, they’re responsible if they’ve damaged your belongings while doing the repair work.

If the repairs were caused by another property

Your landlord is responsible for fixing the problem if:

• they own the property that’s caused the problem

• you can’t use or enjoy your home because of that problem

For example, if your landlord owns the building and didn’t maintain pipes in the roof and water leaked into your home.

In this case, you should report any problems to your landlord.

If someone else owns the property that’s causing the problem, your landlord might not be responsible for fixing it. In this case, you should complain to the owner or resident of the other property.

Check your home meets safety standards

Your landlord must make sure your home meets certain safety standards. This includes:

• making sure the property isn't overcrowded - if you’re not sure if your home is overcrowded, talk to an adviser

• installing smoke alarms on any floor where there’s a room used for accommodation

• installing a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with an appliance that generates heat - like a gas boiler

• making sure gas equipment is safe - your landlord has to get a gas safety check done every year and give you a copy of the report

• making sure your electrics are safe - your landlord has to get the electrics checked every 5 years and give you a copy of the report

• making sure the furniture your landlord gave you meets fire safety standards - this applies if your tenancy started after 1 March 1993

If you live in a block of flats, your landlord might have additional fire safety responsibilities. You can check the fire safety rules if you live in a block of flats.

Repairs you’re responsible for

If you’re renting, you’re responsible for:

• looking after your home 

• reporting repairs to your landlord 

• providing access to have any repair work done

• having a duty of care to your visitors

• repairing your own appliances - for example a washing machine you’ve bought

Looking after your home

Looking after your home generally means:

• doing minor repairs yourself, such as changing fuses and light bulbs

• keeping your home reasonably clean

• not causing any damage to the property and making sure your visitors don’t cause any damage

• using any fixtures and fittings properly, for example, not blocking a toilet by flushing something unsuitable down it

Your tenancy agreement may also set out some express terms on what your responsibilities are for repairs, for example, that you’re responsible for decorating your home.

Your landlord cannot include a term in your agreement that would pass on any of their repair responsibilities to you, for example, that you’re responsible for repairs to the roof. This type of term would not have any force in law.

Reporting repairs to your landlord

In most cases, your landlord isn't responsible for repair work until they know about it, so it's up to you to tell them about any repairs that are needed.

Reporting repairs is often a condition of your tenancy agreement, so you may have to report any problems even if they seem quite small or if you’re not too concerned about getting them fixed.

Check how to report repairs to a private landlord.

Check how to report repairs to a council or housing association.

Providing access to have repair work done

Most tenancy agreements include a term that says you must give access for repair work and will list what repairs your landlord is responsible for. If you have a written or verbal tenancy agreement - there’s a general understanding landlords or their agents are allowed access to see repair work.

You should get at least 24 hours notice before a visit and be offered a reasonable time of day, for example between 8am and 6pm.

You might be able to agree a more suitable time with your landlord. Check your tenancy agreement, it might say you’re allowed more than 24 hours notice.

You can refuse access to your home. Your landlord or their agent can’t enter without your permission. If you refuse access you might break the term of your written or verbal tenancy agreement.

Breaking a term won’t automatically cancel your agreement, but your landlord might be able to get a court order that says you have to give access. Your landlord might not be successful - it’s a judge that decides if a request for access is reasonable.

Your landlord can also ask the court for possession of the property if they think you have broken a term of the tenancy agreement.

If your landlord wants to end your tenancy for this reason, they’ll need to serve you written notice and persuade a court it’s reasonable to evict you.

If there's an emergency and your landlord can't get hold of you, they might be able to force entry if they need to get into your home. For example, a burst pipe in your flat is causing water to leak into the flat below.

If your landlord does break into your home to deal with an emergency repair, they have to repair any damage caused.

If the repair work is to a communal area such as an entrance hall, your landlord doesn't have to give you notice to do the work.

Having a duty of care to your visitors

You have a duty of care to your visitors to make sure they and their belongings are reasonably safe in your home. This only applies if you invited or let them in.

Repairing your own appliances

You're responsible for repairing any of your own appliances like a washing machine, or anything that you had installed, like a shower.

If your landlord supplied any electrical appliances, check your tenancy agreement to see who is responsible for repairs. The agreement might say your landlord must repair them.. Your landlord also has to make sure that any gas appliances they supplied are safe, for example, a fitted gas fire.

If you or a visitor damage something in your home

If you or someone visiting your home accidentally or deliberately causes damage, you'll be responsible for repairing it. You should tell your landlord about the repair work needed. They may agree to do the work themselves and then recharge the cost to you, or they may agree to you fixing it yourself.

Getting repairs done

If you know your landlord is responsible for a repair problem, you can ask them to fix it.  How to get repairs done depends on what type of landlord you have.

If you rent from a private landlord

Check how to get repairs done if you’re renting from a private landlord.

If you rent from the council or a housing association

Check how to report repairs if you’re renting from the council or a housing association.

If you’ve already reported the repairs, you can:

• complain about your landlord's failure to make repairs

• if you rent from a housing association, get help from the local authority

• if you rent from the council, check if you can use the ‘right to repair’ scheme