There are many items a landlord has a legal obligation to keep in good repair and they cannot get out of this by saying in the tenancy agreement that you are responsible.
The responsibilities with regard to repairs are normally as agreed to in the tenancy agreement between yourself and your landlord. However, there are certain repairs for which a tenant on a short lease (normally less than seven years and includes shorthold tenancies) cannot be made responsible for, for example structural repair of the building such as roof coverings, condition of external walls, rotting window frames, floors and penetrating or rising dampness.
If the landlord fails to respond requests to do repairs, then there are various things you can do.
- Contact the Environmental Health Service
- Deal with the Landlord yourself
- Take the landlord to court directly
Remember that for those with less security of tenure any of the actions listed can prompt the landlord to serve a valid notice to leave. You will need to make a decision whether or not to pursue your repairing rights if there is a real danger of subsequently losing your home. Always seek advice first
When deciding what action to take you should consider the following points
- How serious are the problems and how do they affect you and the people you live with
- What type of tenancy do you have? How easily you could you be evicted?
- Do you want to stay in the property?
- Can you afford to do the repairs/go to court?
Useful Links
Rent
Repairs
Direct.gov
