Is your home fit to live in?

Landlords must make sure their properties are fit for people to live in.

A rented home is unfit to live in when conditions or safety issues are so bad that it's not reasonable for you to live there.

This could be because the poor conditions:

• affect your health seriously

• put you at risk of physical harm or injury

• mean you cannot make full use of your home

What makes a home unfit

Examples of things that could make a home unfit include:

• gas safety risks

• unsafe electrics

• fire safety issues

• rats, mice or other pests

• structural or internal disrepair

• heating broken or not working properly

• unsanitary toilets, bathrooms or kitchens

Damp and mould can also make your home unfit. Find out more about damp in:

• private rented homes

• council and housing association homes

Landlord responsibilities

The rule that a rented home must be fit to live in applies to most tenancies no matter when they started.

This includes if you rent from:

• the council

• a housing association

• a private landlord or letting agent

Councils and housing associations

Social landlords have to make your home safe in:

• 24 hours if it's an emergency hazard

• 5 working days from when they finish investigating if there's serious damp and mould

They must offer you free rehousing until it's safe to go back if it's going to take longer to make your home safe.

Private landlords

If you rent your home from a landlord who does not live with you, they have to fix problems in a 'reasonable time'.

This will be shorter if your home is not safe to live in.

Lodgers, temporary housing and licence agreements

If you have a licence agreement rather than a tenancy you are not covered by the fitness rules.

You probably have a licence if you're:

• in temporary housing or a hostel

• a lodger who lives with your landlord

What you can do if your home is unfit

If you rent from a private landlord, you can complain to your local council. Most councils have teams or officers who deal with living conditions in privately rented homes.

If you are a council or or housing association tenant, the first step can be to make a complaint to your landlord.

If you took these steps and your home is still unfit to live in, you can take court action.

The court could order your landlord to:

• do any work needed

• pay you compensation