Understanding your situation
You are a tenant and your rental property has one or more maintenance issues or repairs that your landlord is obligated to address. Common scenarios:
- Heating or hot water system not working (typically treated as urgent/emergency)
- Roof leak, water damage, or damp that is getting worse
- Plumbing issues: blocked drains, broken fixtures, water pressure problems
- Pest infestation (rodents, cockroaches, bedbugs) that landlord must address
- Broken or unsafe appliances provided in the tenancy (oven, fridge, washing machine)
- Electrical problems or safety hazards
- Broken windows, doors that do not lock, security concerns
- Mould caused by structural damp (not condensation from tenant behavior)
- Communal area maintenance issues (broken entry doors, lifts, lighting)
What you need to prepare
- ✓Description of each repair needed, when you first noticed it, and any interim effects (leaking ceiling, cold rooms, etc.)
- ✓Photos documenting the issue
- ✓Record of any prior verbal requests and the date(s)
- ✓Copy of your lease identifying landlord obligations
- ✓Landlord's name and official address or managing agent details
⏰ Deadline
Send the formal request promptly. Give landlord a reasonable time to respond: emergency repairs (heating, water): 24–48 hours. Urgent repairs: 7 days. Non-urgent: 28 days. These are industry standards; specific law varies by jurisdiction.
🏛️ Authority
Landlord / property management. UK: local authority Housing Enforcement, Environmental Health. US: local housing authority, building code enforcement, housing court. DE: Gesundheitsamt, Amtsgericht.
⚖️ Legal basis
UK: Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (s.11 - repairing obligations for structures and installations), Housing Act 2004 (HHSRS). US: implied warranty of habitability (common law, varies by state). DE: §§ 535, 536 BGB (Mietminderung bei Sachmangel).
Expert tips
- 1Always make repair requests in writing - verbal requests have no legal weight. This letter is your proof.
- 2Be specific: 'The boiler has not produced hot water since 12 March 2025' rather than 'the heating is broken.'
- 3In the UK and many US states, if the landlord does not repair within a reasonable time after written notice, you may have the right to: withhold rent (in rent escrow), repair-and-deduct (hire someone and deduct the cost from rent), or report to housing authorities.
- 4Mention the impact the repair failure is having on you: health, safety, day-to-day life.
- 5If the issue is urgent (no heat in winter, no running water), state this clearly and shorten the response deadline.
- 6Send via email (for timestamp) AND recorded delivery if the issue is serious.
- 7Keep a copy - if you later need to go to court or a housing tribunal, this letter is the foundation of your case.