Getting repairs done

Your landlord should make sure that your home is safe and healthy to live in. The law says that generally landlords are responsible for carrying out repairs to the structure and exterior of the dwelling as well as heating and hot water installations and kitchens and bathrooms.

Landlords should normally fix serious hazards such as a broken boiler or an electricity failure within 1 to 3 working days but less serious hazards such as a dripping tap or broken kitchen unit doors can be repaired over a longer timescale.

If you want to get repairs done you should follow these steps:

Step 1

You should let your landlord know the repair is needed so that they can then arrange to carry out the work. Bradford Council’s Housing Standards team recommend that you write or email your landlord and keep a copy of what you have written. Here is a letter you can use to ask for repairs to be done

• Letter to ask for repairs (Word document, 3kb)

Step 2

You should give your landlord a reasonable amount of time to carry out the work. If your landlord does not get in touch with you, you should send them a second letter or email.

• Reminder letter (Word document, 3kb)

However, if the repairs you need are urgent you should go straight to Step 3.

Step 3

If you still do not hear back from your landlord or if your landlord refuses to carry out the repairs, further action may need to be taken. If you live in Bradford District you should contact the Council’s Housing Standards Team - our address and phone number are on this page. We have powers under the Housing Act 2004 to take the necessary action to ensure that your Landlord carries out essential repairs.

It is important that you keep copies of the letters that you send your landlord in case you have to rely on the protection that tenants have against retaliatory eviction.

Damp and condensation

If you have a problem with damp, it is important to try and understand what is causing it – we have some more information on the types and causes of damp.

If you have a problem with condensation, you should first of all try to control this by following some simple steps – watch the video below for some useful hints.

However, if you still have a problem after you have tried to tackle it yourself, you should get in touch with the Housing Standards team using our contact details, because there may be issues that your landlord needs to deal with.