Broken heating, pest infestations, faulty electrics, failed appliances — repeated or prolonged failure to carry out basic repairs is landlord neglect. And UK law protects you from it.
There is an important distinction between a landlord who is slow to respond to a single repair request and one who systematically ignores or inadequately addresses their legal obligations. The latter is landlord neglect — and it is actionable.
Neglect often accumulates over time. A boiler that gets repeatedly patched rather than properly repaired. Pest reports that are acknowledged but never fully resolved. Electrical faults flagged multiple times with no lasting fix. Each failure individually may seem minor, but together they form a pattern that demonstrates a landlord in breach of their duty.
Under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 — which applies to all residential tenancies in England — landlords are required to ensure the property is fit for habitation throughout the entire tenancy, not just at the point of letting. Ongoing neglect of basic repairs is a direct breach of this duty.
Section 11 LTA 1985
Heating, hot water, and sanitary installations — landlord's explicit legal duty to repair and maintain.
Homes Fitness Act 2018
Property must be safe and healthy throughout the tenancy. Electrical hazards, vermin, and excess cold are all covered.
Electrical Safety Regs 2020
Landlords must carry out an EICR every 5 years and fix any issues identified within 28 days.
Select the issue closest to your situation. Each type has different legal grounds, different urgency levels, and different documentation requirements.
Legal basis
Section 11 LTA 1985 + Excess Cold Hazard (HHSRS)
A landlord must maintain the property's heating and hot water system in working order. A boiler that repeatedly fails and is not properly repaired, or a property with no functional heating during winter months, is a serious breach.
Signs this applies to your situation
Neglect claims are often stronger than single-incident disrepair claims, because they demonstrate a pattern of behaviour. But they require careful documentation — specifically a clear record showing that the landlord knew about the issue and consistently failed to address it.
Build a written trail
Every report to your landlord should be in writing. If you have been reporting verbally, start sending follow-up messages after every conversation. Date and save everything.
Email is best — it time-stamps automatically.
Document the condition over time
Photograph the issue at regular intervals. If a pest infestation isn't being treated, photograph the evidence each time you see it. If heating is repeatedly failing, note the dates and temperatures.
Multiple photos over time is stronger than one set.
Record the impact on you
Keep a diary of how the issues have affected your life — sleeping in the cold, health problems from damp or pests, food spoiling, having to shower elsewhere. These are all compensatable losses.
Health impacts significantly strengthen a claim.
Build a professional claim report
Key stepUse the Claim Builder to organise your evidence into a structured, professional report. This transforms your documentation into a formal legal demand.
Guided step-by-step. Takes 15–20 minutes.
The Claim Builder is designed specifically for housing disrepair claims — including neglect cases involving multiple overlapping issues. Build a structured, court-ready report that documents the full history.
No legal knowledge needed · Guided step by step
If your landlord is ignoring serious hazards — broken heating in winter, persistent pest infestations, or electrical dangers — you can report the property to your local council's housing department. Under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), councils have the power to inspect the property and issue formal improvement notices or prohibition orders compelling the landlord to act. This works alongside — not instead of — a disrepair claim.
Start with the free claim checker to see how strong your case is — then build a professional report that formally puts your landlord on notice.
Landlord Neglect Claims — Free claim checker · Professional report
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