Repair Duty Checker

It is a tool that checks whether a repair or housing condition problem is likely to be the landlord’s responsibility, whether it may be urgent, what evidence is needed, and what escalation route may be suitable.

Pro tip: keep this with the rest of your tenancy paperwork and your notes on Section 11 repairing obligations — repair responsibilities disputes are decided on dates and documents, not on who sounds more reasonable.

England rented housing guidance is mainly published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Gas safety is handled through HSE guidance, councils use HHSRS powers, and the Housing Ombudsman handles many unresolved social housing complaints.

Pro tip: if you searched “repair duty checker UK” to get here, this is the part that matters: note the date, who said it and what was actually agreed.

In England, private landlords are usually responsible for structure and exterior, sanitary fittings, pipes, drains, heating, hot water, gas, electrical wiring and common areas. They are also responsible for damage they cause while doing repairs.

Pro tip: save a dated copy of anything about disrepair claim before you reply, so your repair responsibilities timeline is complete if it is ever challenged.

Awaab’s Law is a social housing repair-timeframes law in England. From 27 October 2025, Phase 1 covers significant damp and mould hazards and all emergency hazards in social housing.

Pro tip: pair this with a check on Awaab’s Law timescales — the two questions almost always come up together in repair responsibilities cases.

At the date of this checker, the fixed statutory Awaab’s Law timeframes apply to social housing in England. Private renters still have repair duties, Homes Act, HHSRS, safety certificate, council and court/advice routes.

Pro tip: keep the paperwork covering condensation in the same file as your tenancy agreement so nothing has to be reconstructed later.

Do not wait for a normal repair complaint. Treat it as an emergency, avoid using switches or flames, ventilate if safe, leave if needed and use the National Gas Emergency route.

Pro tip: people often search “repair duty checker UK” at this point; the safest next step is to confirm Awaab’s Law timescales in writing before any deadline passes.

Treat live wiring, sparks, burning smells, electric shock risk or water entering electrics as urgent. Report it immediately and avoid touching unsafe fixtures.

Pro tip: note the exact date this happened. Under the current England rules, repair responsibilities outcomes often turn on timing rather than on the wording used.

A landlord should not simply blame lifestyle without investigating. They should look for causes such as leaks, defective gutters, roofing, heating, insulation, ventilation, extractor fans, window defects and structural problems.

Pro tip: if anything here is disputed, ask for it in writing and keep the reply — written confirmation about Section 11 repairing obligations is worth far more than a phone call.

This can be risky. Get advice before deducting costs from rent or arranging major repairs yourself. A safer first step is usually written reporting, evidence, chasing, complaint and council/advice routes.

Pro tip: check landlord repair responsibilities UK at the same time; getting both right first time avoids having to redo the whole repair responsibilities process.

This is risky and can cause arrears or possession problems. GOV.UK says tenants should carry on paying rent while waiting for repairs. Get advice before withholding rent.

Pro tip: confirm the position on access for repairs against the official source linked on this page rather than relying on a letting agent’s summary.

Private renters should contact the council environmental health/private rented housing team where the landlord does not act, the problem could harm health, there are safety hazards, or the issue may be a statutory nuisance.

Pro tip: searches like “landlord won't fix damp” usually hide a deadline. Diary the date now and keep your evidence of fitness for human habitation together.

Social housing tenants normally report the issue, use the landlord’s complaints procedure, then go to the Housing Ombudsman if still unhappy or if the landlord fails to follow its complaints policy.

Pro tip: if the position on category 1 hazard is unclear, write down what you were told, who told you and when — that record is often decisive.

No. It is an issue-spotting and drafting tool. It does not inspect the home, prove disrepair or replace advice from a qualified adviser.

Pro tip: screenshot the advert, the message thread and any reference number relating to disrepair claim; reconstructing it months later is much harder.

The Repair Duty Checker is a free, browser-based tool that helps you work through landlord repair responsibilities without paying for an initial consultation. It is built for renters, landlords, letting agents and advisers who need a fast, plain-English answer on landlord repair responsibilities UK and related questions such as who is responsible for repairs renting. The Repair Duty Checker works through the same points an adviser would raise about Section 11 repairing obligations and Awaab’s Law timescales, then explains what your answer means and which official source or next step to use.

Pro tip: run the Repair Duty Checker before you sign, pay or reply to anything, and save the result with your notes on HHSRS hazard and reasonable time.

The Repair Duty Checker works in short, ordered steps. It first asks where the property is and what kind of tenancy is involved, because reasonable time changes the answer. It then asks about Awaab’s Law timescales, fitness for human habitation and the key dates, which is where most who is responsible for repairs renting problems actually begin. Finally the Repair Duty Checker returns an issue-spotting summary: what looks fine, what looks risky, what is probably not allowed, and which official source or related tool to open next.

Pro tip: have your tenancy agreement, dates and written messages to hand before you start so the Repair Duty Checker result reflects your real paperwork rather than your memory.

Yes. The Repair Duty Checker is completely free, with no account, no sign-up and no payment. Everything you type into the Repair Duty Checker stays in your browser: it is not sent to a server, not saved to a database and not shared with a landlord, letting agent or advertiser. That means you can safely test more than one scenario for damp and mould landlord duty, fitness for human habitation or disrepair claim without leaving a record anywhere.

Pro tip: because nothing is stored, copy or screenshot your Repair Duty Checker result before you close the tab if you want it for your evidence file.

The Repair Duty Checker is reviewed against the rules in force and updated whenever the underlying law or official guidance changes. The current version reflects the private renting framework that applies in England after 1 May 2026, including environmental health, notice of disrepair and category 1 hazard. Changes to the Repair Duty Checker are checked against primary sources such as legislation and GOV.UK guidance rather than secondary commentary, and the review date is shown at the top of this page.

Pro tip: if your situation started before the current rules, note the exact dates — the Repair Duty Checker treats older and newer repair responsibilities situations differently.

The Repair Duty Checker is built around the questions people actually type into search, including “repair responsibilities renting”, “is my landlord responsible for this repair”, “repair duty checker UK” and “landlord won't fix damp”. Behind those different wordings the underlying issue is usually the same: landlord repair responsibilities. The Repair Duty Checker also covers the closely related areas — Section 11 repairing obligations, Awaab’s Law timescales and fitness for human habitation — so you do not need to run several separate searches to get one usable answer about landlord repair responsibilities UK.

Pro tip: if your exact wording is not covered, search this site for who is responsible for repairs renting or damp and mould landlord duty and open the linked guide next to your Repair Duty Checker result.

No. The Repair Duty Checker is an issue-spotting tool, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for a qualified adviser. It tells you what usually applies to landlord repair responsibilities, which documents matter and which category 1 hazard or condensation question to ask next, but it cannot read your full file, argue your case or represent you. If you face a court date, a tribunal deadline, homelessness risk or a serious safety issue, get advice from Shelter, Citizens Advice, a housing solicitor or your local council.

Pro tip: take your Repair Duty Checker result and your evidence log to the adviser; a clear timeline covering Awaab’s Law timescales makes a first appointment far more useful.