You must always contact your landlord first to report a repair. It is the landlord’s responsibility to give you their contact details or the details of their agent. If this information is not on your tenancy agreement or you don’t have one, contact Shelter about your rights.
You must speak with your landlord or agent first – please follow these steps:
- Contact your landlord or letting agent, telling them what needs to be repaired. Do this in writing in case you need to prove this at a later date
- Wait 10 working days and if you haven’t heard back – send a final letter or email giving them 48 hours to respond
- Keep copies of all correspondence and any evidence you have, for example photographs of the issue
- You will need to allow access to the property for the repair work, and give your landlord a reasonable time to get the work done
- You can then contact the private sector housing team if you do not receive a response from your landlord
Please get in touch for advice if your problem is an immediate danger or serious threat to health or security, such as:
- Unsafe electrics
- An external door that can’t be locked
- No cooking facilities
- A permanent loss of heating in the house during cold weather
- Something that particularly affects vulnerable people. For example – a baby, someone who is old and infirm, or a person with a relevant medical condition or disability