Landlord repair responsibilities: a practical guide for UK landlords

Most private residential tenancies in England and Wales include an implied repairing covenant under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. That means the duty is automatic — it does not need to be written into the tenancy agreement, and any clause that tries to remove it is unenforceable.

Section 11 makes landlords responsible for keeping in repair:

• Structure and exterior: walls, roofs, gutters, drains, external doors and windows.
• Water, gas and sanitation: pipes, tanks, boilers, radiators, toilets, sinks, baths and basins.
• Heating and hot water: the boiler, flues, radiators, controls and associated pipework.

The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 adds a wider duty: the property must be fit to live in throughout the tenancy. Damp, mould, unsafe electrics, excessive cold or any of the 29 hazards listed in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System can make a home unfit, even if no single Section 11 item has broken down.

The statute says repairs must be done "within a reasonable time" after the landlord has been notified. The exact period depends on the risk to the tenant and the severity of the defect. A practical way to think about it is:

The key point is that the clock starts when you are notified, not when you decide to act. If a tenant reports a leak by text and it later causes damage, the council or court will ask when the report was received and what you did about it.

Section 11 is broad but not absolute. Landlords are not generally responsible for damage caused by the tenant or their guests, or for items the tenant owns or has installed themselves. Fixtures, fittings and appliances that the landlord provided are usually the landlord's responsibility to repair; tenant-owned appliances usually are not.

Tenants also have duties: they must use the property in a "tenant-like manner", report defects promptly, and allow reasonable access for inspection and repair. Access should normally be arranged with at least 24 hours' written notice at a reasonable time of day.

When a repair dispute arises, the argument is rarely about whether the work was needed. It is almost always about when the problem was reported, what was agreed, and how long the landlord took. A clear record is the best defence against a deposit dispute, an improvement notice or a housing disrepair claim.

A good repair record should include:

• The tenant's original report, with photos and a timestamp.
• The urgency category assigned to the issue.
• The contractor or tradesperson instructed and when.
• The quote, landlord approval, and attendance date.
• Confirmation from the tenant that the work was completed satisfactorily.

Mainto keeps this record automatically. Tenants report issues in one shared thread, AI triage assigns urgency, vetted tradespeople quote, and every approval, visit and completion is logged against the property. When a council inspection or dispute comes up, the full audit trail is already there.

• Relying on WhatsApp or informal messages: messages get lost and timestamps are disputed. Use a single, timestamped channel for every repair.
• Ignoring low-priority jobs: a small leak can become a serious damp problem. Routine issues still need a clear plan and completion date.
• Not confirming access: always record that access was requested and agreed, especially where a tenant later claims they were not informed.
• Missing certificates: gas safety, EICR and EPC records are separate but just as important as repair records. Keep them with the property file.

Knowing what you owe is one thing; running it repeatedly across a portfolio is another. Our overview of landlord repair management sets out the six steps from tenant report to signed-off, evidenced repair.