How to sort a dispute with your landlord

When renting, the minimum you can expect is a safe, warm and well-maintained home. This means any problems you raise should be sorted within a reasonable amount of time.

If your home is unsafe or not fit to live in, you may be entitled to a rent reduction or a different place to stay.

Your tenancy agreement will list the repairs your landlord is responsible for, usually covering repairs to the building, heating, plumbing and provided appliances.

It’s your responsibility to keep the property and outside space in good condition – so you must repair anything you’ve broken or damaged.

You’ll need to tell your landlord or letting agent about any problems, or your council or housing association if you live in social housing.

It’s best to put everything in writing so you have evidence if you need it later.

1. Report the problem as soon as it happens:
   1. explain what needs repairing
   2. include photographs if you can
   3. request alternative accommodation if you need it
   4. ask how long they’ll take to fix it.
2. Wait for them to reply – there’s no set deadline, it just must be within a ‘reasonable amount of time’. They should act as quickly as possible for urgent repairs.

If they don’t respond, are slow to act or you don’t agree with their actions, you can take your complaint further.

This usually involves contacting your local council, authority or taking your landlord to court or a tribunal.

The exact process depends on where in the UK you’re renting. But wherever you live, you can't be evicted for making a complaint – just don’t stop paying rent as this will break your agreement.

When you leave a rented home, your landlord or letting agent should inspect the property to check the condition it’s in. It’s also a good idea to take your own photos just before you leave.

If there’s a problem beyond reasonable wear and tear, you might be asked to fix or pay for it.

This might include:

• damage to the property, like a stain or broken window
• missing or broken items that were part of the property (and listed on the inventory)
• leaving the home dirty.

The common way to do this is to hold back some (or all) of your deposit you paid at the start. Your landlord or letting agent might also do this if you’ve any outstanding rent to pay.

They must explain how much they are taking from your deposit and why. To help decide if it’s fair:

• ask for a breakdown of their costs and quotes
• get your own quotes
• check if you can do any of the work yourself.

If you don’t agree with their figure, write to your landlord or letting agent with the evidence and amount you think is acceptable.

If you can’t reach to an agreement, you might be able to use a free dispute service before seeking court action. 

For most new rental agreements since April 2007, your deposit must be placed in a protection scheme. This means an independent company holds on to your money instead of your landlord or letting agent.

At the end of your tenancy:

1. Your landlord tells the protection scheme provider how much to give back to you.
2. You’re then asked if you:
   1. agree (if so, the money is repaid), or
   2. disagree, which starts a dispute.
3. Someone independent will then:
   1. review your case and any evidence, and
   2. decide on the amount you’ll get back.

Your landlord should have told you which protection scheme provider has your money. If you’re not sure, you can find the details of the schemes in operation below.

If you still don’t agree, you’ll normally need to go to court.

Your last resort is to consider going to court, if:

• you’ve used your protection scheme’s dispute service but are still unhappy, or
• your deposit isn’t protected by a scheme – such as lodger or an older style tenancy agreement.

The court might ask you to use a mediation service first, which might be free to use. You can find out about the process below.

If you've been treated unfairly by someone, it could be discrimination. This is where you’re treated differently because of:

• who you are – like your gender, religion or race, and/or
• your situation – like being pregnant or having a disability.

For example, a landlord can’t refuse to accept a guide dog if they’re needed to live safely at home. Also, if you can afford the rent, landlords cannot discriminate against you for receiving benefits.

Depending on what’s happened, you can complain and take the person or organisation to court.

For other issues, see the guides below for more help and information:

• Unfair rent increases
• Problems paying your rent
• If you’ve received an eviction notice

You can explain your situation to an adviser using the free helplines below. They’ll listen and give you as much help as they can.

You can also find details of local advisers at AdvicelocalOpens in a new window