What to do when your landlord will not repair anything
A calm, escalating approach that usually works before anything becomes a dispute.
A calm, escalating approach that usually works before anything becomes a dispute.
Broadly, structural and major systems are the landlord's responsibility while small day-to-day items fall to the tenant. But 'broadly' is not 'agreed', which is why this becomes a problem so often.
Step one: put it in writing
Not a phone call. A message, dated, describing the problem, with a photograph. Keep it polite and factual. This does two things: it often works on its own, and it creates a record if it does not.
Step two: follow up, in writing, once a week
Short and unfailingly polite. A pattern of documented, reasonable requests is a strong position; an angry outburst after two months of silence is not.
Step three: propose a solution
Offer to arrange the repair and deduct the cost from rent, with the landlord's written agreement in advance. Never deduct without that agreement — it puts you in the wrong however justified you feel.
Step four: get advice
If the problem affects habitability — no water, unsafe wiring, a leaking roof — and the landlord will not act, speak to a lawyer or legal aid organisation. Bring your written record.
The written record is what decides these situations. Start it with the first request, not when you become angry.
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