Landlord and tenant responsibilities for repairs

Find out who is responsible for repairs and maintenance in your rented home.

Landlord's repair responsibilities

Your landlord is responsible for most repairs in your home. This applies to private, council and housing association landlords.

Your landlord's responsibilities include:

the structure and exterior of the building, including the walls, stairs and bannisters, roof, external doors and windows
sinks, baths, toilets and other sanitary fittings, including pipes and drains
heating and hot water
chimneys and ventilation
electrical wiring

Your landlord is responsible for repairing the common parts of a building, such as entrance halls, communal stairways and shared kitchens.

Your landlord also must put right any damage to internal decorations caused by repair problems or while repairs were carried out.

Check your tenancy agreement to see if your landlord is responsible for repairing or replacing faulty items or appliances they provided, such as a fridge, washing machine or gas oven.

Check what your tenancy agreement says

Most tenants have a written tenancy agreement. This usually includes details about who is responsible for repairs. Your landlord must do the repairs the law says they are responsible for, even if your agreement says something different.

Your tenancy agreement may say when or how often certain types of repairs will be done. It may say that you have some responsibilities, for example keeping the garden tidy or sharing the cleaning of communal stairways and halls.

Landlord's responsibility for health and safety

Your landlord should make sure that your home is free from any hazards that could affect the health and safety of anyone in your household.

Health hazards can include:

Find out more about health and safety standards for your home.

Gas safety

Your landlord is responsible for keeping gas appliances they provide in safe working order.

Your landlord must arrange an annual gas safety inspection to be carried out by a registered Gas Safe engineer.

Find out about gas safety and gas safety checks.

Electrical appliances

Your landlord is responsible for keeping electrical appliances they provide in safe working order.

It's your responsibility as a tenant to check that any appliances you own are in good safe working order.

Find out about electrical safety in your home.

Fire safety

Most private landlords are responsible for:

installing smoke alarms on each floor of your home
installing carbon monoxide detectors in rooms with a coal fire or wood burning stove

Your landlord must make sure any furniture they provide meets fire safety regulations.

Tenant's responsibility for repairs and maintenance

You must use your home in a responsible way.

You should:

keep it clean
not damage the property and make sure your guests don't either
carry out minor maintenance such as replacing smoke alarm batteries
use the heating properly
not blocking flues or ventilation

You usually are also responsible for minor repairs, such as:

fixing a bathroom cabinet
renewing sealant around the bath

Your landlord isn't responsible for fixing any appliances or furniture you own. They are your responsibility.

You probably have to pay for repairs if you cause damage to the property, even if it's accidental. You shouldn't have to pay for fair wear and tear to your home.

If you don't fix damage you've caused, your landlord could deduct money from your tenancy deposit.