Tenants guide

Housing standards and repairs

If you rent your home from a private landlord and you are unhappy about disrepair or the condition of the property, we can:

give you advice about how to resolve the issues with your landlord
inspect your home and rate any hazards using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System
liaise with your landlord to get the repairs carried out
take enforcement action to get the repairs carried out

If you rent your home from a social landlord, there is a different process for housing standards and repairs. Visit www.gov.uk/social-housing to find out more.

Health and safety problems in your private rented home

Typical things you might be worried about include damp and mould, no heating, fire safety risks, dangerous electrics, concerns about gas safety, and other safety issues in your home.

Report the repairs

You should always report the repairs to your landlord or letting agent before contacting us. You should put your concerns to them in writing.

You need to give them a reasonable time to carry out the repairs and allow them access to the property to inspect what needs to be done and carry out the works. 'Reasonable time' is dependent on the type of repairs needed. If you are not satisfied with your landlord's response, you can ask us to inspect the property.

Ask us to inspect a property

To request an inspection for a private rented property complete the online form below. The form will take 5 minutes to complete.

Request an inspection for rented properties

To find out how we use your information see our privacy notice (opens in a new window).

More information about getting repairs carried out to your property is available on the Shelter website.

When we take action

We must act if we find any Category 1 hazards in your home. This could mean us serving a notice on your landlord to carry out the improvements, or we serve a notice indicating that we will take emergency action to carry out the works.

For less serious hazards, we may give your landlord notice that we are aware of the problem, and provide them with advice on how to solve it.

Taking action yourself

You can take action yourself if your landlord or letting agent is renting out a property in poor condition, and/or fails to carry out necessary maintenance. The Home (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 gives you the right to take your landlord to court if the property is not fit for human habitation. The law allows you to seek redress, including financial compensation, where appropriate.

You can find more information in the GOV.UK tenants guide

Domestic abuse

Domestic abuse can happen to anyone. It takes many forms from violence and threats to controlling behaviour and emotional cruelty.

Domestic abuse can occur in any kind of relationship and in any culture.

We are committed to helping you live a life without fear. There are housing options for helping you stay at home or helping you move home.

See the domestic abuse page for further help.

Leaving home

If you wish to move home, we can provide you with advice and support. Whether you are in a joint tenancy, have rent arrears, or children there are options for a planned move.

You can make an application for social housing, or you can consider renting privately. In some cases, we may be able to assist with deposits or rent in advance.

Leaving home in a crisis

If you leave home in a crisis and cannot return, you should contact the Housing Options Team on 0300 123 5017 (or 0300 123 5025 outside of office hours).

We will help you access a temporary or refuge placement away from your previous place of residence.

Sanctuary and target hardening scheme

If you wish to stay in your current home and need support in excluding your abuser and staying safe, we also have advice about our sanctuary and target hardening schemes.

Sanctuary and target hardening schemes are where your landlord helps to you put in extra security measures in your home to support you to feel safe. These can include, video doorbells, extra locks/ chains, tremor alarms, fire proof letter boxes and safe rooms.

Policy

We are committed to supporting those who suffer from domestic abuse. How we aim to do this, and what to expect from our service, can be found in our Domestic abuse customer policy (PDF, 336KB)