What are my landlord's responsibilities?

Rent

Your landlord must tell you when your rent is due. They should tell you if they want you to pay by cheque or direct debit. They can't refuse to accept the rent from you. If the rent is paid weekly, private landlords must provide a rent book.

Gas and electrical safety

Every year your landlord must arrange inspection of your gas appliances to have them serviced and checked for safety by a person who is registered with the Confederation of Registered Gas Installers (CORGI). The landlord must keep a copy of inspection dates and results and give you a copy of them. If they fail to check gas appliances every year, you should report them to the council.

All electrical appliances must be safe to use. The landlord should have these checked regularly to make sure they are not faulty.

Condition of the property

When you move in, the house should be in a reasonable condition. For example:

• the house must be clean when you move in
• if furniture is provided, it must be in reasonable repair
• all appliances must be in working order
• walls, doors and windows must be in reasonable repair.

Furnishings

Before you rent the property you should find out what furniture is included with the house. A furnished property may only include carpets and curtains. You can usually bring your own furniture, but you should check with the landlord that this is OK. You should also check whether your landlord has any rules about decorating.

Fire safety

Furniture provided must meet fire safety regulations. If the furniture was made after 1991, it should have a label attached saying that the furniture is fire resistant.

Any properties built after 1992 should have smoke detectors fitted. Depending on the size of the property there should also be a fire escape.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue service provide free home-safety checks. They will visit your home, and can provide smoke detectors.

Wear and tear

Wear and tear is when things deteriorate over time. Your landlord can't charge you for reasonable wear and tear. Landlords must replace or repair appliances they have provided at the property if they break down, unless it is your fault or caused by your neglect.

Repairs

The landlord is always responsible for repairing:

• the outside of the property, including walls, roof, doors and windows
• bathroom fittings: sinks, baths, toilets, pipes and drains
• heating
• electricity supply
• hot-water supply
• gas appliances and pipes
• chimneys and ventilation equipment.

You must contact the landlord if something needs repairing. They should arrange a time to come and fix it. If you contact them by phone, make a note of what was said. If you email or write them a letter, keep a copy for yourself.

Urgent repairs should be fixed immediately, for example if there is a problem with the gas.

Damp

If your house is damp, you may notice:

• wallpaper or paint flaking from the wall
• stains or mould patches
• rot on skirting boards or floorboards
• water condensation on the windows or walls
• a nasty smell.

The landlord will be responsible for removing damp if it is caused by:

• leaking pipes
• a leaking roof or a cracked wall.

Damp can also be caused by:

• not properly airing the property
• drying clothes indoors
• poor insulation
• steam when cooking with the windows shut.

Make sure you keep the house well ventilated by keeping windows open to let out the water vapour and stop mould growing.

Shared areas

If you live in a block of flats, the owner of the block is responsible for cleaning and repairing shared areas such as corridors, lifts and stairways. You may have to pay a service charge for this.

Overcrowding

Living in an overcrowded house is dangerous and also illegal. A house is considered to be overcrowded when:

• two people who are of the opposite sex and are not married or living together as a couple, share a bedroom
• two children over the age of 10 of the opposite sex share a bedroom.

If you think your home is overcrowded you should contact the council.

Can the landlord increase my rent?

It should say in your tenancy agreement whether the landlord can increase your rent and by how much. A landlord will tell you by letter or by making a new contract if the rent is going to increase.

Contact details

Your landlord should give you their name and a contact address. If you got your home through a letting agent, you can write to the letting agent to ask for your landlord's details. You must be told if a new landlord takes over.

Not disturbing tenants

If your landlord needs to enter the property to do repairs, you must let them in. However, your landlord should give you reasonable notice, of at least 24 hours. They can't enter without your permission except in an emergency.

Eviction

Landlords can't evict you without first giving you proper notice to leave and then following the correct procedures if you fail to leave. In all circumstances, they must give you reasonable notice to leave. Most private tenancies require the landlord to give you two months' notice. If you do not leave, they must get a court order to evict you. Landlords are not allowed to harass you and force you to leave. This means they can't threaten you, break into the property, lock you out, cut off any services or behave in an abusive way. If your landlord is harassing you, or you have been given a notice and you don't know whether you have to leave, you should contact Housing Advice at the Council or a Citizens Advice Bureau immediately.

In most private lettings, a private landlord does not have to tell you why they are evicting you provided they have given you the proper notice to leave. You should always seek advice if you do not know whether you have to leave.