Housing conditions

Your landlord is responsible for repairs and maintenance of the exterior and the structure of the property, as well as the plumbing, wiring and heating.

As a tenant you must:

• Report any repairs needed to your landlord straight away in writing.
• Make sure your home is well ventilated to help avoid condensation.
• Do minor maintenance such as checking smoke alarms and changing light bulbs.
• Dispose of your rubbish properly.

You must not damage internal decoration, furniture or equipment provided by your landlord as you will be responsible for paying for anything broken or damaged.

You should give your landlord access to your home to see if repairs are needed. Your landlord must:

• Give you at least 24 hours written notice.
• Inspect at a reasonable time of day.

You should also allow access to trade people or engineers if your landlord has arranged repairs or essential maintenance (such as a gas safety check).

You must check your tenancy agreement before making any changes to your agreement, such as taking in a lodger, getting a pet, parking a caravan outside the property, or redecorating. Any of these could be in breach of your contract. If you wish to make any changes to your agreement, you must write to your landlord and keep copies of all communication. Your landlord may have the right to refuse your request.

You can be held responsible for the behaviour of anyone who lives with you or visits you in your home. Your landlord might take steps to evict you if they receive complaints of noise nuisance or anti-social behaviour from neighbours or other tenants in the property.

When to ask for help

The Private Sector Housing team can intervene when your Landlord is not meeting their repair obligations and can enforce against them to take action.

If you are concerned that your landlord has not made necessary repairs despite them being requested, or you are concerned that something in your property is immediately dangerous, contact us and we will step in to offer assistance.

If you are concerned about something that is not immediately dangerous, make sure that you have written to your landlord to advise of the repair needed. Allow them 14 days to respond before contacting us.

To report a repair issue in your property please complete our online form below.

Report a property repair issue

Landlord responsibility

As a landlord, you are responsible for carrying out repairs and maintenance to the exterior and structure of your property. This includes any goods or furniture you have provided (such as white goods).

If your tenant reports repairs through to you, you should arrange to visit the property to assess what repairs are needed. You must give your tenants at least 24 hours' written notice of your intent to enter the property and you must visit at a reasonable time.

You should then arrange for the repairs to be carried out by a qualified professional as soon as possible. Due to GDPR regulations, you must ensure that you do not give out your tenants contact information without their consent.

You must also make sure that you meet your statutory obligations by making sure that safety checks (such as gas) are carried out annually where required.

If your tenant is in arrears, you are still obligated to carry out necessary repairs to the property. If there are outstanding repairs and you attempt to evict your tenant you may be unable to do so.

Further information can be found on Shelter onResponsibility of repairs for landlords and tenants (opens new window)

Private Sector Housing Officer referrals

If repairs issues are reported through to us that are not being reasonably addressed, our Private Sector Housing Officers will consider enforcement options available. This could result in severe repercussions.

To make sure obligations are met, our Private Sector Housing Team will always try to work with landlords as much as is reasonably possible. They will resort to enforcement options only when other methods have been exhausted.

Electrical checks

From 1 July 2020, private landlords must make sure that all electrical installations are inspected and tested by a registered electrician. The electrician will produce an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).

For private tenancies starting on or after 1 June 2020, the first check must be done before the tenancy begins.

Private tenancies which started before 1 June 2020 will require this check to be completed before 1 April 2021.

Gas checks

If there are gas appliances in a property, a landlord by law must have a current Gas Safety Certificate and have it renewed each year on expiry by a Gas Safe registered gas engineer. The tenant must be given a copy before they move in. They also need to be given copies of any further certificates within 28 days of the inspection annually.

EPC certificates

Every property must have an up to date Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) which provides a rating of the property's energy efficiency rating. Furthermore, a copy should be given to the tenant at the earliest opportunity. An EPC is valid for 10 years. As of April 2018, properties with the poorest energy efficiency bands of F and G cannot be let.