How long does a landlord have to do repairs?

Written by the August editorial team. Last reviewed June 2026.

A landlord must carry out repairs within a reasonable time of being told about them, and for serious hazards that window is now measured in days, not weeks. What counts as “reasonable” depends on how serious the problem is: an emergency affecting safety or basic living conditions needs action within roughly 24 hours, an urgent repair within a few days, and a routine, non-hazardous repair within around 14 to 28 days. Those expectations sit on top of a landlord’s legal duties under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and, for the most serious hazards, the new fixed timescales introduced by Awaab’s Law. This guide sets out what the law requires, what a reasonable timescale looks like for the most common repairs, and what a tenant can do if a landlord does not act.

What repairs is a landlord responsible for?

Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, a landlord is responsible for keeping in repair the structure and exterior of the property and the installations for water, gas, electricity, sanitation, space heating and hot water. The roof is part of that structural responsibility, and where its condition is in doubt a roof survey establishes the extent of any defect before it becomes a costly repair. The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 goes further, requiring the property to be fit to live in at the start of and throughout the tenancy, which covers serious problems such as damp, cold and safety hazards. Councils can also assess serious risks under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and require a landlord to act. These duties cannot be contracted out of, and a tenant reporting a repair does not lose them by, for example, being on a rolling tenancy. The fuller breakdown of who fixes what sits in our guide to repair obligations.

What counts as a reasonable time?

There is no single statutory deadline for most repairs; “reasonable” is judged by the severity of the problem and its effect on the tenant. As a working framework:

• Emergency (around 24 hours): anything that makes the home unsafe or uninhabitable, no heating or hot water in cold weather, a serious leak, a gas or electrical fault, a security risk such as a broken external door or window. The landlord should make the property safe within about a day, even if the full fix takes longer.

• Urgent (a few days): problems that significantly affect daily living but are not dangerous, a broken oven in a furnished let, a faulty but contained leak, partial loss of heating in milder weather.

• Routine (around 14 to 28 days): non-hazardous and cosmetic issues, a dripping tap, a broken cupboard, worn decoration, repairs that matter but do not affect safety or basic use.

These are reasonable-practice benchmarks, not a substitute for the specific legal timescales that now apply to serious hazards, which the next section covers.

Awaab’s Law and the new fixed timescales

Awaab’s Law introduced, for the first time, fixed legal timescales for responding to the most serious housing hazards. It has applied to social housing in England since 27 October 2025: social landlords must investigate significant damp and mould hazards within set timescales and address emergency hazards as soon as practicable and within 24 hours, and where a home cannot be made safe in time, arrange suitable alternative accommodation. From 2026 the social-housing rules expand to a wider set of hazards, including excess cold and heat, structural and fire and electrical risks, and from 2027 to almost all hazards rated under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.

For private landlords, the direction of travel is clear. The Renters’ Rights Act contains the power to extend Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector, with the exact timescales to be confirmed in regulations after consultation, so the fixed social-housing deadlines are not yet automatically binding on private landlords. In practice, a private landlord acting today should treat those timescales as the standard they will be held to, respond to damp, mould and emergency hazards quickly, document the response, and not wait for the regulations to make it formal. Tenants, equally, can point to this direction of travel when pressing for action.

Common repairs: what’s reasonable, in practice

No hot water or heating. This is an emergency, particularly in cold weather, because it affects basic living and health. A landlord should aim to investigate and make the property safe or workable within about 24 hours, even if a part or a follow-up visit means the complete repair takes a little longer. As one landlord we work with puts it, anything to do with heating or hot water goes to the top of the list, and a quick message to the tenant explaining what is happening matters almost as much as the fix itself. Keeping the tenant updated is not a legal duty in itself, but it heads off most complaints.

A broken fridge, oven or other appliance (furnished lets). Where the appliance came with the property, it forms part of what the tenant is paying for, so a broken fridge-freezer or oven is usually an urgent repair: a few days is reasonable, with an interim solution (such as a temporary appliance) if it will take longer. A landlord is entitled to confirm the fault lies with the appliance before replacing it, which is one reason some landlords let unfurnished, but that checking should be prompt, not a reason to leave a tenant without means to store food or cook for weeks.

Damp and mould. Since Awaab’s Law, damp and mould cannot be treated as a low-priority or purely cosmetic complaint. The landlord’s duty is to investigate the hazard and act within a reasonable, and increasingly a fixed, timescale, regardless of whether the cause turns out to be the building or, in some cases, ventilation and condensation. Lifestyle factors are worth discussing with a tenant, but they do not justify delay, and the problem must be treated rather than painted over. Where there is bulging plaster, black spots or a musty smell that does not clear, get a professional assessment quickly. Our guide to preventing damp and mould under Awaab’s Law covers this in depth.

Broken blinds and cosmetic repairs. Genuinely cosmetic issues are routine, a couple of weeks is reasonable, but “cosmetic” is not the same as “ignorable”. Broken blinds in a ground-floor or street-facing window affect privacy and sleep, which is part of what the tenant is paying for, so they should still be put right within a sensible window rather than left indefinitely.

Pest infestations. An infestation is judged by its cause and severity rather than treated as a single category. Where it stems from something the landlord must put right, for example gaps in the structure, defective drains or a problem present at the start of the tenancy, it engages the repairing and habitation duties and should be dealt with promptly, within days for a serious case affecting living conditions. Where it arises from how the property is being used, responsibility is less clear cut, but a landlord who investigates quickly is in a far stronger position than one who leaves it. Our guide to pests in a rental property sets out who is responsible and when.

What can a tenant do if repairs are not done?

A tenant should first report the problem in writing and keep a record, this is both practical and important if the matter escalates. If the landlord does not act within a reasonable time, the tenant can contact the council’s environmental health team, which can inspect under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and order the landlord to carry out works, and once the Private Rented Sector Ombudsman is in place under the Renters’ Rights Act, escalate there. One common misconception is worth correcting: a tenant cannot simply pay for a repair and deduct it from the rent. There is a narrow “repair and deduct” route at common law, but it requires a strict procedure, written notice, obtaining quotes, and giving the landlord a chance to act, and skipping those steps puts the tenant in rent arrears. Take advice before going down that path.

Why timescales now matter more for landlords

Repair response times have moved from a question of good practice to one of compliance. With fixed timescales already binding in social housing and heading for the private rented sector, a landlord’s best protection is a clear record: when the tenant reported the issue, what was done, and when. Logging and timestamping every request, which you can do by logging repairs in August, turns a vague “reasonable time” argument into a documented timeline, and prompts action before a deadline is missed. If you would rather keep repairs, documents and communication in one place than reconstruct them later, you can start for free.

Disclaimer: this article is a guide and not intended to be relied upon as legal or professional advice. Repair obligations and the timescales under Awaab’s Law are governed by legislation and regulations that change over time. Always take qualified advice on a specific situation.