If you are a landlord, you have a legal duty to your tenants to keep your properties in good repair. If you are unclear about your repair responsibilities, read on...
General repair work
All landlords must undertake some general repair work. This includes:
- repairs to the structure of your home (includes the roof, walls, floors, doors and windows)
- repairs to the outside of the building, including gutters, pipes and drains
- repairs to plumbing, such as baths, toilets and basins
- repairs to electrical wiring and gas pipes
- repairs to fixed heaters and water heaters
"Health and Safety" repairs
All landlords must make sure that their properties are safe and fit to live in. The condition of a property should not seriously affect the health or safety of your tenants. Health and safety problems include:
- serious damp and condensation
- inadequate ventilation
- lack of piped clean water
- poor facilities for preparing and cooking food
- excessive noise
- burst pipes
- infestation
Gas safety
All landlords must have the gas appliances in their properties checked and serviced every year by a CORGI registered engineer. They should provide the tenant with a copy of the gas safety certificate within 28 days of the latest check.
Repairs of furniture and fittings
If the tenancy agreement includes furniture and/or items such as a cooker or fridge, it is up to the landlord to repair or replace them if they break down or wear out. It is up to the tenant to repair any furniture and items that belong to the landlord.
Furniture Safety
If the tenancy started after March 1993, all of the furniture and furnishings included must meet certain standards. It is illegal for landlords to provide furniture which catches fire very easily, or which would give off dangerous fumes in a fire. For more information, contact Trading Standards (external website).
Shared houses (or H.M.O.s)
If tenants live in a shared house with people who are not part of their family, they will have extra rights. Houses like this are called Houses in Multiple Occupation (H.M.O.'s). Landlords of H.M.O.s must make sure that their houses meet certain standards.
Important: Some HMOs now need to be licensed. For more information about this, see 'Licensing of private rented properties' on Manchester City Council's website (external website).
Even if your property is not large enough to require a licence it may now be classed as a HMO due to a change in the legal definition of what constitutes a 'household'. Find out what constitutes a HMO (external website).
If you live in a block of flats or shared building
The landlord is normally responsible for keeping the common areas in good repair. These include shared stairways, hallways, lifts, and doors.
Usually, the landlord must also do basic repairs in empty flats in the building so that they don't cause problems for other tenants, e.g. from leaking pipes.
Need more help? Live in Manchester? Send us an email
Information Provider:
Manchester Advice
Date Reviewed:
27 October 2008
This information is for guidance only and is not an authoritative statement on the law. Please read our Terms and Conditions.
FeedbackDid you find this page useful? Yes or No