Repair Response Times: How Landlords Should Prioritise Repairs

Short answer: Private landlords in England have no general legal deadline for repairs. They must keep the structure, exterior, and water, gas, electricity, sanitation and heating installations in repair (Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.11), and some regulations set fixed deadlines. Awaab's Law sets 24-hour and 10-working-day timescales, but only for social housing.

This guide covers England. We checked the law and guidance on legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK on 7 October 2026. The priority matrix near the end is a suggested internal policy, not a legal requirement.

What repairs is a landlord legally responsible for?

Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 is the starting point. It applies to leases of a dwelling for less than seven years (s.13), which GOV.UK says covers the vast majority of private rented tenancies. It implies a covenant by the landlord:

1. To keep in repair the structure and exterior, including drains, gutters and external pipes.
2. To keep in repair and proper working order the installations for the supply of water, gas and electricity and for sanitation, including basins, sinks, baths and toilets.
3. To keep in repair and proper working order the installations for space heating and heating water.

It doesn't cover damage the tenant is responsible for through failing to use the property in a tenant-like manner, rebuilding after fire or flood, or items the tenant can remove (s.11(2)). The standard of repair takes account of the property's age, character, prospective life and locality (s.11(3)).

Section 9A of the same Act adds a separate duty to keep the home fit for human habitation. Since 1 May 2026, the written information private landlords must give new tenants has to mention both duties (SI 2026/324).

For access, s.11(6) lets the landlord, or someone authorised in writing, enter at reasonable times of day to view the condition of the property, on 24 hours' written notice to the occupier.

Which regulations set hard deadlines?

Some specific duties do have fixed deadlines. These apply now to private landlords in England:

Everything else falls back on s.11 and s.9A. That means a reasonable time once you know about the problem. What's reasonable depends on how serious the problem is.

How does HHSRS fit in?

HHSRS is how councils judge how serious a hazard is. Under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004, councils assess homes using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. If a council considers a category 1 hazard exists, it must take enforcement action, such as an improvement notice, a prohibition order or emergency remedial action (s.5).

HHSRS changed on 23 June 2026. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/571) merged some hazard descriptions, added an indoor air pollutants description, and replaced the old bands. A category 1 hazard is now one that scores in the "High" band, and Medium and Low are category 2. If your maintenance team uses older HHSRS training material or checklists, update them.

What does Awaab's Law require, and who does it cover?

Awaab's Law currently covers social housing only. It is the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025, which came into force on 27 October 2025. GOV.UK's guidance for social landlords sets these timescales:

Phase 1 (from 27 October 2025) covers all emergency hazards, and damp and mould that presents a significant risk of harm.

Phase 2 (from 30 November 2026) adds excess cold, excess heat, falls, structural collapse, fire and explosions, electrical hazards and domestic hygiene, where they present a significant risk of harm. GOV.UK's Phase 2 guidance (31 July 2026) says this happens through the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

Phase 3 will extend it to the remaining HHSRS hazards except overcrowding. The Phase 1 guidance said this would happen in 2027. The newer Phase 2 guidance just says "phase 3", with no date.

When will Awaab's Law apply to private landlords?

There's no date yet. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 allows Awaab's Law to be applied to private rented homes as implied tenancy terms. The government's implementation roadmap (November 2025) puts it in Phase 3, alongside the Decent Homes Standard, and says the timescales will be subject to consultation. On 7 October 2026 we couldn't find a published consultation or an in-force date on GOV.UK. Treat any article giving a firm date for private landlords with caution until regulations are made.

The social sector timescales are still a useful benchmark. They show what the government considers a reasonable response to a serious hazard, so they're a defensible basis for your own policy.

A suggested priority matrix for repair requests

This is a suggested internal policy, not law. Adapt it to your stock, your contractors and your tenants. Where it borrows Awaab's Law timescales, that's a benchmark, not a legal requirement for private landlords.

How to triage a call quickly

1. Is anyone in danger right now? If yes, it's P1. Tell the tenant what to do while help is on the way, for example turning off the water or gas at the stopcock or meter.
2. Who lives there? Young children, older people, or someone with a health condition can turn a P3 into a P1. The Awaab's Law guidance takes the same person-centred approach.
3. Is an essential service lost? Heating, hot water, water supply, the only toilet, power: P2 at least.
4. Will it get worse or cause more damage if left? Leaks and damp move up a level.
5. Record the time you were told. Your clock starts when you're made aware, not when you get round to logging it.

Make the policy work in practice

• Publish your timescales to tenants so they know what to expect.
• Give contractors the same categories and response times in writing.
• Log every request with the time reported, the category given, who decided it, and each step's date.
• Write to the tenant after any inspection saying what you found and what happens next, even where the law doesn't yet require it.
• Review overdue jobs weekly.

Getting the policy to the person on the phone

A priority matrix only helps if the person taking the call uses it. If you upload your repairs policy and contractor list to Verika, a new property manager can ask "tenant says there's mould in the baby's bedroom, what priority is that?" and get the answer from your policy, with the document named. If your policy doesn't cover it, Verika says so instead of guessing and logs the question for a senior manager to answer once. Verika answers property questions only from your own documents and approved answers. See Verika for property teams, or try it free. For what to hand over at the start of a tenancy, see our landlord move-in checklist for England.

Sources

1. Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11 (repairing obligations in short leases) and section 13 — legislation.gov.uk
2. Housing Act 2004, section 5 (category 1 hazards: general duty to take enforcement action) — legislation.gov.uk
3. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/571 — legislation.gov.uk, in force 23 June 2026
4. Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, regulation 3 — legislation.gov.uk
5. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36 — legislation.gov.uk
6. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, regulation 4 — legislation.gov.uk
7. Awaab's Law: guidance for social landlords – timeframes for repairs in the social rented sector — MHCLG, GOV.UK, updated 16 July 2026
8. Awaab's Law Phase 2: guidance for social landlords — MHCLG, GOV.UK, 31 July 2026
9. Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025: our roadmap — MHCLG, November 2025
10. Guide to the Renters' Rights Act (Awaab's Law section) — MHCLG, GOV.UK
11. The Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Written Statement of Terms etc and Information Sheet) (England) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/324 — legislation.gov.uk