What if your landlord doesnt fix things

Índice Show

Major issues
If your home isn’t safe for you to live in
Asking your landlord to make repairs
Getting evidence
If your landlord won’t do the repairs
If the problem is affecting your health or safety

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My landlord doesn't make repairs. What should I do?

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A tenant who needs repairs in their unit should first notify their landlord. The landlord then has a chance to make sure the repair is made.

If the repair is required by law, or by the lease, the landlord has 14 days (or less, if it is an emergency) to repair. If not, the tenant can "repair and deduct." This means they can pay to have the repair made, and then pay less rent the next month to cover the bill.

If the landlord then tries to evict the tenant for not paying rent, the tenant can have the case dismissed. But only if the tenant follows the rules:

Notice before: Before they hire someone to repair, the tenant must send the landlord a letter demanding that they fix the problem within 14 days. The letter should be signed, copied, and then sent via certified mail.
Notice after: After the repair is made, the tenant must send the landlord a copy of the paid bill.
Cost: The repairs must be $500 (or half the monthly rent, whichever is lower) or less. The amount must be reasonable.
Professional: The tenant must hire someone who is a licensed, insured, professional. They must professionally do the work and should not be related to the tenant.

A tenant that lives in the following types of housing cannot repair and deduct:

Public housing
Condominiums
Residential cooperative housing
Commercial tenants
Residences with six units or less, with the owner living in the property
Mobile homes located in a mobile home park

A tenant cannot repair and deduct if they caused the damage on purpose or by being careless.

Major issues

A landlord must make sure that a unit is habitable. If the unit is not habitable, the tenant may be able to break the lease.

There might also be local laws that provide other legal actions the tenant can take.

Essential services and threats to health and safety

Some issues are so severe that they require an emergency response. This includes heat, electricity, and things that threaten health and safety. There may be local laws where you are about things a tenant can do about this, so you should talk to a lawyer if this applies to you.

You can use this form to ask the landlord to make repairs

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Your landlord is responsible for most major repairs to your home if you rent privately. 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

You’ll be responsible for minor repairs, for example changing fuses and light bulbs. You’ll also have to fix anything you’ve damaged. You won’t be responsible for repairing damage caused by other people, for example vandalism.

If your home is damp, your landlord might not be responsible. It depends on what type of damp it is - and what caused it. Read more about problems with damp.

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

Your landlord also has to do anything that’s included in their tenancy agreement.

Contact your nearest Citizens Advice if you're not sure what repairs your landlord must do.

If your home isn’t safe for you to live in

If your home isn’t safe to live in, it 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 - if your landlord doesn’t do this, contact your nearest Citizens Advice.

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.

Your landlord doesn’t have to make sure your home’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

Contact your nearest Citizens Advice if you’re not sure if your home’s fit for human habitation.

Asking your landlord to make repairs

Write to your landlord as soon as you notice a problem. You could be held responsible if it gets worse. It’s best to put it in writing - send it to your landlord and keep a copy yourself.

If a letting agent manages the property for your landlord, write to them and they should talk to your landlord. The letting agent will be responsible for making sure your landlord does the repairs.

If your landlord's responsible for the repairs, they should do them in a ‘reasonable’ amount of time. What counts as reasonable depends on the problem. For example, a broken boiler should be fixed sooner than a leaky tap.

Getting evidence

You should get evidence of the problem, for example:

photos of the damage, particularly if the problem gets worse over time
any letters, texts, emails or notes of any conversations between you and your landlord or letting agent
receipts if you’ve had to replace damaged items
letters from your GP if the problem has made you ill
a copy of your tenancy agreement

Keep any evidence you've got - you might need it later if you have to take further action to get repairs done.

Read more about taking action if your landlord doesn't do repairs.

Unless it's an emergency, your landlord should give you at least 24 hours' written notice if they want to visit your home to see the damage or do repairs.

If your landlord won’t do the repairs

Keep paying your rent. If you don't, you'll get into rent arrears and your landlord might then try to evict you.

You can complain about your landlord or complain about your letting agent if they won't do the repairs.

If the problem is affecting your health or safety

You can report your landlord to the Environmental Health department at your local council if your home is in a bad state of repair.

You should do this if your home is unsafe or making you ill. This could be, for example because of:

a gas leak
a broken step
mould or damp
mice or cockroaches

You’ll need to send details of the problem in writing, for example when the problem started.

You can find your local council’s contact details on GOV.UK.

Your landlord could try to evict you if you complain. If you have an assured shorthold tenancy that started after 1 October 2015, you might have more protection against being evicted. Read more about what to do if your landlord tries to evict you after you’ve complained.

An Environmental Health Officer will look at your home and order your landlord to do repairs if they think it’s harmful to your health or safety. Keep evidence of what they say or any report they write.

If your home is found to be unfit to live in, you might need to find a new place to live. Read more about what help you can get if you're being evicted.

Your council should get back to you quickly if the problem is severe or if someone in your home is very young, ill or elderly.

If the council doesn’t take any action or doesn’t act quickly enough, you could ask them to look at their decision again - for example if you’ve got evidence that the problem is worse than they thought.

If you're still not happy with your council's decision, you can complain. Contact your local council and ask how you can make a complaint.

If your landlord still won’t fix the problem, contact your nearest Citizens Advice.