Landlord Repair Obligations

Repair duties sit with the landlord because the structure and the fixed services belong to the property rather than to the tenant. The scope is set by law in most jurisdictions and cannot be signed away in the tenancy agreement. Knowing what you must fix, and what the tenant must fix, prevents most repair disputes before they start.

Structure and exterior

You are normally responsible for the structure and exterior: walls, roof, windows, doors, drains, gutters and external pipes. Damage from ordinary weather and from age falls on you. The tenant is answerable where they or their visitors caused the damage, and that difference should be agreed when you inspect.

A leaking roof left unrepaired leads to damp and mould claims, and in some jurisdictions to a compensation award on top of the repair bill. Acting when the report arrives is almost always cheaper than acting after the damage has spread through a ceiling. Larger structural work takes planning as well, since scaffolding, access and the tenant's daily routine all have to be worked around, so tell the tenant the schedule before the contractor arrives.

What sits inside the property

The installations for water, gas, electricity, heating, hot water, sanitation and ventilation belong to the landlord in most places. That covers the pipework and wiring, not only the boiler or the fuse board, so a fault in the hidden runs is still yours to put right.

Appliances you supplied are yours to maintain as well. If the washing machine or the fridge breaks and you provided it, repair or replace it; if it belongs to the tenant, it does not. Record at the start which appliances came with the property, because memory is a poor witness two years later.

Safety records you must hold

Gas appliances need an annual safety check by a registered engineer, with a copy of the record given to the tenant. Electrical installations need periodic inspection. Smoke alarms need to be fitted, tested and in working order when the tenancy starts, and carbon monoxide alarms are required wherever a fuel-burning appliance is installed.

Keep the certificates, note the dates they expire and diary the renewals before they lapse. Missing a current certificate can block possession proceedings and can attract a fine, so the paperwork carries as much weight as the repair itself.

• Gas safety record - Annual check by a registered engineer, copy given to the tenant.
• Electrical inspection - Periodic test of the wiring and the fixed installations.
• Alarm checks - Smoke alarms on each floor, carbon monoxide where required.
• Water risk assessment - Written check of the system for legionella risk.

Access and notice to enter

You have the right to inspect and repair, but not to walk in. Give written notice of the visit, arrive at a reasonable time and keep to the purpose you stated. Genuine emergencies are the exception, and even then the tenant should be told what happened as soon as it is practical.

If the tenant refuses access, put the request in writing again, explain why the work matters and what happens if it is delayed, and record the refusal with the date. Refusing access for a legitimate repair is a breach of the tenancy in most places, but only if you can show you asked properly.

Wear and tear, and how repairs get reported

Tenants are not liable for wear that comes from ordinary living. They are liable for damage, neglect and problems they never reported that got worse. Make that line clear in writing at the start of the tenancy so nobody is arguing about it during a check-out.

Give tenants one clear way to report a repair and answer it quickly. A simple log of what was reported, when, who attended and when the job finished protects you if a dispute goes further, and a repair delayed by a part or a contractor is much easier to defend when the tenant was told why. Put that reporting method in the tenancy pack, so a new tenant knows where to send a fault on the first day rather than during the first crisis.

Planning maintenance and keeping records

Repairs cost less when they are planned. An annual boiler service, gutters cleared before winter and a check of the seals around baths and showers cost very little, and they prevent the two claims that hurt most: water damage and a heating failure during cold weather. Note what a contractor looked at and what they found, even when the answer was that nothing was wrong.

Keep the renewal dates for certificates, alarms and inspections in one place with a reminder set ahead of each date. When a repair is finished, file the invoice, the engineer's report and the tenant's confirmation that access was arranged. That file answers most of the questions a tenant, an insurer or a court can raise about how the property has been maintained.