Damage and repairs

A landlord is responsible for dealing with most disrepair in a property rented to a tenant.

Student Services - Close-up of a yellow pipe valve.

A landlord is responsible for dealing with most disrepair in a property rented to a tenant.

Generally, your landlord is responsible for keeping in repair:

the structure and exterior of your home, for example, the walls, roof foundations, drains, guttering and external pipes, windows and external doors
basins, sinks, baths, toilets and their pipework
water and gas pipes, electrical wiring, water tanks, boilers, radiators, gas fires, fitted electric fires or fitted heaters

These repair responsibilities can’t be overruled by anything stated in your tenancy agreement.

your landlord cannot avoid their obligations, or pass them on to you. Nor can they pass on the cost of any repair work to you that is their responsibility.

The law implies a condition into every tenancy agreement that the tenant must use their home in a ‘tenant-like’ way. This means:

doing minor repairs yourself, such as changing fuses and light bulbs
keeping your home reasonably clean
not causing any damage to the property and making sure your visitors don’t cause any damage
using any fixtures and fittings properly, for example, not blocking a toilet by flushing something unsuitable down it.

The tenancy agreement often specifies that the tenant will not be responsible for making good any deterioration caused by fair wear and tear, which means normal everyday use.

Landlord responsibility.

If the landlord is not carrying out necessary repairs and you are considering taking further action, try to collect all the evidence you can about the necessary repairs, and what you have done to get your landlord to carry them out.

You could:

Take photographs
Keep belongings that have been affected (eg, clothes damaged by dampness), or take photographs of them. Work out how much they are worth or keep receipts if you have had to replace them
Get an environmental health officer from the council to inspect your home
Keep copies of any letters you send to your landlord, and any written responses
Make a note of any conversations you have with your landlord – include dates, and keep a record of what was agreed
If your health has been affected, keep copies of any doctor’s notes or hospital reports

If you have an issue with repairs in your rented property, speak to a specialist adviser located in the Student Support and Advice Centre. The advisers are impartial and here to advise in your best interests. To book a confidential telephone appointment, please email: studentsupport@lincoln.ac.uk or telephone 01522 837080.

Alternatively, further information on rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords can be found here.