Repairs and Hazards: Your Landlords Legal Duties

Living in a safe, warm, and dry home is a legal right. Every private landlord in England has strict legal obligations to keep their properties properly maintained and free from serious health and safety hazards. Knowing what repairs your landlord is responsible for—and what steps to take if they delay—helps ensure your home remains safe.

Statutory Repair Duties Under Section 11

Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, your landlord is legally responsible for repairing and maintaining essential structural elements and equipment in your home. This includes:

• The structure and exterior of the property, including roofs, external walls, foundations, windows, guttering, drains, and entrance doors.
• Installations for the supply of gas, electricity, water, and sanitation, including pipes, wiring, water tanks, sinks, baths, and toilets.
• Heating systems and hot water equipment, including boilers, radiators, and fitted heaters.

Your landlord cannot pass these responsibilities onto you through terms in your tenancy agreement.

Essential Health and Safety Inspections

Landlords must also comply with strict safety regulations:

• Gas safety: An annual gas safety check conducted by a registered Gas Safe engineer, with a copy of the certificate provided to you.
• Electrical safety: An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) carried out at least once every five years by a qualified electrician.
• Fire and carbon monoxide safety: Working smoke alarms on every storey used as living accommodation and carbon monoxide detectors in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (such as a gas boiler or wood burner).

Modern Housing Standards and Awaab's Law

Under the Decent Homes Standard and the extension of Awaab's Law to the private rented sector, landlords must address severe health hazards promptly:

• Urgent emergency hazards—such as gas leaks, severe electrical faults, raw sewage backup, or complete loss of heating during winter—must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours.
• Severe hazards like pervasive damp and mould must be inspected within strict statutory timelines (such as 14 days), and repair work must begin promptly once diagnosed.

Your Responsibilities as a Tenant

While landlords carry the main repair duties, tenants are expected to:

• Report repair problems and hazards to the landlord or letting agent in writing as soon as they are noticed.
• Allow reasonable access for contractors to carry out inspections and repairs, provided you receive at least 24 hours' written notice.
• Take basic care of the property, such as changing lightbulbs, keeping the home reasonably clean, and ventilating rooms to prevent normal condensation.

What to Do If Repairs Are Ignored

If your landlord fails to address reported repairs:

1. Keep detailed records: Save copies of all written communications, emails, text messages, repair request logs, photos, and videos of the damage or hazard.
2. Send a formal written chase: Write to your landlord setting out the unresolved issues and requesting a specific reasonable timeline for action.
3. Contact Local Council Environmental Health: Local authority officers can inspect the property for hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). If hazards are found, the council can issue binding Improvement Notices ordering the landlord to carry out repairs.
4. Contact the Landlord Ombudsman: You can submit a complaint to the Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman for dispute resolution and compensation claims.

Never stop paying rent as a protest against outstanding repairs without professional legal advice. Rent withholding can put you at risk of rent arrears eviction proceedings.

For full guidance on repair obligations, consult GOV.UK landlord repair responsibilities, read Citizens Advice guidance on housing repairs, or visit Shelter England repair advice.