Adam Palmer – Advice Coordinator
Damp & Disrepair – What to do!
Unfortunately, things go wrong, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it! In todays guide we are talking about what to do and who is responsible when your property comes under disrepair.
1. Understand your rights – First you need to understand where you stand with regards to disrepair at a property. You need to know what kind of agreement you have and what the Landlord has agreed to! This can be found in your Contact. You can find a helpful tenancy checker on the Shelter website.
2. Your responsibilities – It isn’t always the landlords responsibilities to get something sorted, You are responsible for behaving in a ‘tenant like manner’. This means you need to keep the house reasonably clean and carry out minor maintenance like changing lightbulbs and replacing batteries in smoke detectors. Along with any general maintenance to the garden.
3. How do I know the property is safe – You may find it useful to check if the property is following all rules and is at an acceptable standard, you can do so by looking at the guide below.
4. How to report Disrepair – If you do find something wrong with the property that is in need of repair you will need to contact your landlord! The best way to do this is in writing. Either through text or email, let them know about the issues there are. If the repairs aren’t done, you then have record of when you informed them.
5. Timescales and Access – The Landlord will need to gain access to the property which they will need to give 24 hours to notice to do so, the only exception to the rule being in an emergency such as gas leaks or broken pipes. For urgent issues it is reasonable to expect this to be dealt with within 24 hours, otherwise if not urgent timescales can be longer as the Landlord may need to bring in tradesman.
Remember if you have any issues with your landlords and repairs not being completed, you can always speak to us at The Advice Centre in Building 40 or email us (advice@soton.ac.uk), where we can arrange an experienced adviser to support you further with your case!