Private tenants
Your rights as a private tenant — and where to get free help
Renting privately with damp, mould, leaks or no heating? You have real legal rights. We only act for council and housing-association tenants — but here is exactly what you’re entitled to and who can help you today.
Private tenants
Private landlords must keep the structure and exterior of your home in repair, maintain the installations for water, gas, electricity, heating and sanitation, and ensure the property is fit to live in — including dealing with damp, mould and other serious hazards. Those duties cannot be signed away in a tenancy agreement.
Persistent damp and mould, leaks and broken heating are the most common — and most claimable — housing disrepair problems we see. Not sure what yours could be worth? Our free housing disrepair compensation calculator gives an instant guide, or read more about housing disrepair claims.
Does this sound familiar?
If any of these sound like your home, the free help below is your fastest route.
Common disrepair problems
These are the problems private tenants most often report to us.
Persistent damp and black mould never treated at the source — the most common claim we see.
Roof, plumbing or window leaks damaging your home, furniture and belongings.
No or unreliable heating and hot water left unrepaired, often through winter.
Dangerous wiring, gas or fittings that should have been made safe straight away.
Cracks, rot, crumbling plaster, broken doors, windows, floors and guttering.
Vermin or pest problems and blocked drains caused by the state of the property.
Asthma, chest infections and other conditions caused or made worse by the disrepair.
Clothes, carpets, furniture, beds and electricals ruined by damp, mould or leaks.
The law on your side
You do not have to rely on goodwill. Your landlord's repairing duties are set by law, and they cannot be signed away by anything in your tenancy agreement.
The cornerstone of every disrepair claim. Section 11 requires your landlord to keep in repair the structure and exterior of your home — walls, roof, windows, gutters and drains — and to keep in working order the installations for water, gas, electricity, sanitation, space heating and hot water. Once you have reported a problem, the landlord must carry out the repair within a reasonable time.
Your home must be fit to live in — not merely structurally intact. This covers serious damp and mould, inadequate ventilation, unsafe electrics and other hazards that make a home unhealthy. If it is unfit, you can take action directly against your landlord.
Report the problem to your landlord in writing and keep copies. If nothing happens, contact your council’s environmental health team — they can inspect serious hazards such as damp and mould and legally require your landlord to act. Free specialist advice is available from Shelter and Citizens Advice.
Honest answers
These are the four things tenants tell us stop them coming forward. Every one of them deserves a straight answer.
Retaliatory eviction is not something a social landlord can lawfully do because you asked for repairs you are legally entitled to. Secure and assured social tenancies have strong protection, and asking for repairs is exercising your rights — not a breach of them.
This is the most common thing landlords say, and it is very often wrong. Persistent damp and black mould usually trace back to disrepair or inadequate ventilation, insulation or heating that the landlord is responsible for. An independent survey establishes the true cause.
Suitable claims run on a No Win No Fee basis: nothing to pay upfront, and nothing to pay us if the claim does not succeed. The terms are agreed with you in writing before anything starts.
Ongoing disrepair can usually still be claimed. You can generally claim compensation for up to six years of disrepair (three years for a personal-injury element) — and if it is still not fixed, the claim also forces the repairs.
We act only for council and housing-association tenants, so we cannot take on private-tenancy disrepair claims. We would rather tell you that plainly than waste your time. Here is who can genuinely help:
The free help above is the best route for private tenants. If you would still like us to double-check, send your details and we will be honest with you about whether we can assist.
Your questions
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