How & When To Complain About Your Private Landlord

Maintenance & Repair Issues

Landlords in England & Wales are legally obligated to ensure their rental property is in good repair and in safe working order.

For example, there must be a supply of hot and cold water, there shouldn’t be any dampness, there should be suitable drainage and sanitary conveniences etc.

If a landlord fails to meet his/her obligations, they could be sued by the tenant.

For more information on resolving maintenance & repair issues, I recommend reading the following blog posts:

• A list of Landlord Legal Responsibilities, Obligations & Regulations – this list will help you determine what your landlord is responsible for (even though it’s written for landlords).
• Landlords Responsibility to Repair And Maintain – everything a landlord is responsible for repairing and maintaining.
• How & When To Sue Your Landlord For Damages & Maintenance Issues – this is a blog post that covers a case study, where a Barrister provides practical advice to a tenant that is looking to sue her landlord over a maintenance issue (a faulty fuse box).

Health & Safety Issues

Health & safety issues often cross-over with maintenance & repair issues, but it can also include the following common scenarios:

• Infestations
• Mould/damp issues as a consequence of failing to make reasonable repairs
• Landlords failing to meet gas safety requirements
• Landlords failing to meet electrical safety guidelines

For more information on resolving health and safety issues, or how to report your landlord for not complying with their health & safety obligations, I recommend reading the following blog posts:

• A list of Landlord Legal Responsibilities, Obligations & Regulations – this list will help you determine what your landlord is responsible for (even though it’s written for landlords).
• How to Report A Landlord That Doesn’t Comply With Health And Safety

Tenancy Deposit Disputes

Disputes over tenancy deposits has become incredibly common, especially with the rise of specialist “No Win No Fee” Deposit Recovery services, and charities like Shelter bringing the issue to the forefront.

Unfortunately many landlords ARE failing to meet their legal obligations when it comes to the handling of tenants’ deposits, which means tenants have valid grounds for not only recovering their deposit, but also claiming compensation.

If you think your landlord may have mishandled your deposit, I recommend reading the following blog post:

• Tenancy Deposit Information & Dispute Advice for Tenants

Harassment

Unfortunately, many landlords aren’t aware of the tenants statutory right to live in ‘quiet enjoyment‘, which essentially means landlords aren’t allowed to harass tenants. The line is commonly crossed when landlords do either of the following:

• Make unannounced visits
• Excessively contact the tenant, usually in a threatening and abusive tone.

If you feel you are being harassed, I recommend seeking legal advice from Citizen’s advice. If more urgent cases, call 999 and lodge a complaint with the police.

Revenge Evictions

This seems to be the hot new topic. Apparently every tenant under the sun is being booted out of their home under unfair grounds, allegedly.

A ‘revenge eviction‘ refers to when tenants get evicted (i.e. when they’re given notice) after reporting a matter of disrepair to their landlord.

It’s still not clear how much of a widespread issue this is, it’s an ongoing debate among ‘the powers that be’.

I have no doubt in my mind that it happens, but I’m not convinced it’s as widespread as it’s made out to be, because it doesn’t make financial sense for the typical landlord to evict a good tenant just because they report a maintenance issue.

In any case, it’s what we’re being told is happening! *cough*

If you feel like you are legitimately being evicted out of spite because you have reported a maintenance issue to your landlord – unfortunately, from what I’m aware, there is currently no recourse for tenants.

Ultimately, as long as your landlord terminates a tenancy through the proper means (i.e. serves the appropriate notice and provides an ample notice period), regardless if ‘why’, there isn’t anything you can object to.

If anything changes in the future, which it very well may (because it’s an ongoing topic of debate), I’ll update this section.

Free legal advice for Tenants

If you’re a tenant looking for free legal advice or professional support related to evictions, repairs or homelessness, I recommend getting in touch with Citizens Advice and/or Shelter.

More Blog Posts on Complaining about Landlords