How Quickly Should Your Landlord Deal With Repairs?
If you have reported a repair, one of the first questions you may ask is: how long should I have to wait?
There is not one single repair deadline that applies to every problem, every landlord and every tenant.
The seriousness of the problem, the risk to your health or safety and the type of landlord you rent from can all affect how quickly action may be required.
A dangerous emergency should not be treated in the same way as a minor routine repair.
Repair Timescales Can Depend on How Urgent the Problem Is
1. Emergency Hazards
Problems that present an immediate and significant risk to health or safety may require urgent action.
For social housing tenants in England, Awaab’s Law requires emergency hazards covered by the rules to be investigated and made safe within 24 hours.
Significant Damp and Mould Hazards
For social housing tenants in England, significant damp and mould hazards that pose a significant risk of harm must be investigated within 10 working days.
Where the investigation confirms a significant hazard, the landlord must meet further fixed requirements for providing findings and making the home safe.
Non-Urgent Repairs
Where a fixed Awaab’s Law timeframe does not apply, the landlord’s own repairs policy and the circumstances of the problem can be important.
The Housing Ombudsman describes 28 days as the standard industry timeframe for non-urgent repairs, while also considering whether a landlord’s actual or proposed timeframe was excessive or delayed.
Repairs in Wales
The rules are different in Wales.
Official Welsh guidance says that once a landlord is aware of the need for repairs, they must be carried out within a reasonable time and to a reasonable standard
What If You Have Been Waiting Longer Than Expected?
If the repair deadline you were given has passed, the problem is getting worse or you are repeatedly being told to wait, keep a clear written record of what is happening.
Making a complaint creates a clearer written record of your concerns and gives your landlord the opportunity to investigate what has gone wrong.
Make a note of:
When you first reported the repair
Any repair or reference numbers
Appointments that were cancelled or missed
Updates or timescales given by your landlord
Photos or videos showing whether the problem is getting worse
How the problem is affecting you or your household
Do not assume that repeatedly calling your landlord means there will always be a clear record of every conversation. Where possible, follow up important conversations in writing.
Your Landlord’s Own Repair Policy May Also Matter
Many councils and housing associations publish repair categories and target timescales.
Check your landlord’s repairs policy and compare the timescale you were given with what has actually happened.
If your landlord has missed its own repair target, repeatedly cancelled appointments or failed to explain a continuing delay, you may want to make a formal complaint.
The important question is not simply “has 28 days passed?” The type of repair, the level of risk and your landlord’s response all matter.