Written in 2015.

Getting repairs done is one of the most common enquiries to the Housing Rights advice line. It is a topic which causes a lot of distress for tenants in the private rented and social rented sectors; especially when repairs are delayed or not addressed at all.

The problems with repairs include:

• Determining who is actually responsible for carrying out the repairs i.e. is it the landlord or tenant who is responsible?
• How can that responsibility be enforced?
• What are the remedies?

In addressing the above issues this resource will look at:

• The role of the tenancy agreement in determining repair responsibilities;
• Statutory default repair obligations;
• Response times for repairs;
• Enforcing repair obligations, including the role of fitness and public health legislation and Environmental Health;
• Complaining about repairs.