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

Your home must be fit to live in for your whole tenancy.

This applies to all private, housing association and council tenancies.

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

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

• private rented homes

• council and housing association homes

What you can do if your home is unfit

Private tenants can complain to your local council. Most councils have a private housing team.

If you rent from the council or a housing association, you can:

• complain to your landlord as a first step

• go to the Housing Ombudsman if you are not happy with response

Court action

You could think about court action if your home is not fit to live in.

The court could order your landlord to:

• do any work needed

• pay you compensation

More on how to take your landlord to court for repairs.

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.

Your home should still be safe.

You probably have a licence if you're:

• in emergency housing

• living in a hostel or hotel

• living in a domestic abuse refuge

• a lodger who lives with your landlord

• a property guardian

You might have a licence agreement if you live in other types of shared housing.