Check for repairs, hazards and landlord duties

Advise the tenant on landlords' duties to resolve any issues with damp, mould, disrepair or hazards and support the tenant to take action.

Fuel poverty can be caused by poor housing conditions. Cold homes, inadequate heating, damp, or mould can cause health risks. A landlord could be responsible for making repairs.

Check the tenancy type

The tenant's rights and escalation routes depend on their security of tenure.

Check if they are a:

• social tenant

• private tenant

• resident in temporary accommodation

• lodger or excluded occupier

• licence holder

If the tenant does not know their security of tenure use the tenancy checker at Shelter Legal.

Identify any repair issues

Ask the tenant about any problems that make their home cold, damp or unsafe. For example:

• the heating or boiler not working

• no hot water

• having a cold home even when the heating is used

• damp or mould

• leaks or structural damp, for example, rising damp

Collect any evidence of the disrepair including:

• photographs or video of the problem

• when the problem started or was reported to the landlord

• details of any health issues caused by the disrepair

Report the issue

Ask the tenant if they have reported the issue to the landlord. If they have not, help them to report the issue to the landlord in writing. You should:

• explain the impact on the household

• ask for a schedule of the repairs

• keep copies of the communication

Raise any emergency issues like no heating or water and ask the landlord to address them immediately.

If the landlord does not fix the issue

The options to escalate a complaint are different depending on whether the tenant has a social or private landlord.

What a social landlord must do

A social tenant is someone who rents their home from a local council or housing association.

A social landlord must:

• fix emergency hazards within 24 hours, for example where there is no heating or hot water

• fix damp and mould if it is serious or makes the home unfit to live in

• follow fixed timescales where damp and mould is a hazard

The requirement to fix emergency damp and mould hazards is known as Awaab's Law.

If the disrepair has been reported to the landlord but they have not taken any action, the tenant can:

• raise a complaint through the landlord's complaints process

• escalate to the Housing Ombudsman if the issue remains unresolved

Find out more about hazards in social housing on Shelter Legal.

What a private landlord must do

A private landlord must fix issues if they are serious or makes the home unfit to live in. For example:

• no heating or hot water

• dangerous electrical faults

• serious leaks or structural risks

A private landlord must make repairs within a reasonable time. Reasonable is not defined by law but should reflect how severe the problem is and how it affects the tenant’s health and safety.

If the landlord is not responding or refuses to make repairs, help the tenant to:

• report the disrepair to the council’s environmental health team

• request an inspection under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS)

The local authority can issue enforcement notices if they identify hazards in the home.

Read more about local authority duties to assess hazards in the home at Shelter Legal.

Support the tenant

Help the tenant stay safe while disrepair is being resolved. This could include:

• checking if temporary heaters are needed

• making sure they are on the Priority Services Register

• helping them make a complaint if the disrepair remains unresolved

It could take a long time to resolve disrepair, especially if the issues are structural.

Find out more about disrepair cases by reading case studies from the Housing Ombudsman