Landlord Repair Obligations in London: Section 11 Explained

Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires a landlord to keep the structure and exterior of a rented home in repair, and to keep the installations for water, gas, electricity, sanitation, space heating and water heating in repair and proper working order. It applies to almost every tenancy of under seven years, it cannot be contracted out of, and it is triggered once the landlord has notice of the defect. What it does not do is put a number on how quickly the repair must happen. This guide sets out what Section 11 actually covers, where the statutory timescales that do exist come from, and how "reasonable time" is judged by repair category.

What does Section 11 make the landlord responsible for?

Section 11 implies a repairing covenant into short residential leases. The landlord must keep in repair the structure and exterior of the dwelling, including drains, gutters and external pipes, and must keep in repair and proper working order the installations for the supply of water, gas and electricity, for sanitation, and for space heating and heating water. That second limb is broader than the first, because "proper working order" is a higher standard than "in repair". A boiler that has not broken but no longer heats the property to a usable temperature can be outside proper working order even though nothing is obviously in disrepair. Sanitation covers basins, sinks, baths and lavatories, so a cracked WC pan or a bath that will not drain sits inside the covenant. The covenant applies to leases granted for a term of less than seven years, which captures the overwhelming majority of assured shorthold tenancies in London. Section 12 of the same Act makes any agreement that purports to exclude or limit these obligations void, unless a county court has authorised it. A tenancy agreement clause making the tenant responsible for the boiler or the gutters is not enforceable. Section 11 also gives the landlord a corresponding right of entry: the tenant must allow access at reasonable times of day to view the condition and state of repair, on 24 hours' notice in writing.

Repair is not the same as improvement

Section 11 obliges a landlord to repair. It does not oblige a landlord to improve a property, and the distinction decides a surprising number of disputes about damp and cold in older London housing stock. The leading illustration is Quick v Taff Ely Borough Council, in which severe condensation dampness caused by cold bridging and inadequate heating made a house barely habitable, but the structure itself was not damaged. Because there was no disrepair to the structure or exterior, the Court of Appeal held that Section 11 was not engaged. The obligation bites where something has deteriorated from a previous condition, not where a building was built badly in the first place. That is precisely why the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 matters. It implies a separate term that the property is fit for human habitation at the start of and throughout the tenancy, and it is not limited to disrepair. Where a London flat is unfit because of damp, mould, cold, poor ventilation or an unsafe layout, a tenant can sue the landlord directly under that Act regardless of whether anything has technically broken. In practice the two run together. A landlord defending a claim on the basis that a Victorian solid wall was always cold is answering the Section 11 question correctly and the fitness question not at all.

When does the clock start? The notice rule

For a defect inside the property the landlord has let, the repairing obligation is not breached until the landlord has notice of the disrepair. Until the landlord knows, or is put on notice, time does not run. That rule cuts both ways. It means a landlord is not liable for a defect nobody has reported, and it means the date a report is received is the single most important date in any disrepair file. It also means a vague complaint can start the clock: notice does not require the tenant to identify the cause or use the right vocabulary, only to give the landlord information that would put a reasonable landlord on inquiry. The position is different for the common parts of a block, and for defects in parts of the building the landlord has retained rather than let. There the landlord is generally taken to know the condition of its own retained property and cannot wait to be told. For landlords and managing agents the operational conclusion is the same either way: log every repair report with a date, a description in the tenant's own words, and the channel it arrived through. A disrepair claim two years later is argued almost entirely on the strength of that log.

What does "reasonable time" actually mean?

Section 11 does not define a timescale. The obligation is to carry out the repair within a reasonable time of receiving notice, and what is reasonable is assessed on the facts: the severity of the defect, the risk to health and safety, the scale of the work, the availability of parts and contractors, and how promptly the landlord acted once informed. The useful way to think about it is that reasonableness is measured from the landlord's first response, not from completion. A landlord who inspects within days, diagnoses the cause and then waits four weeks for a specialist part is on far stronger ground than one who does nothing for four weeks and then completes the repair in an afternoon. Several parallel regimes do impose hard timescales, and where one applies it effectively fixes the answer. The table below sets out the ones that bind in the private rented sector in England.

Situation	Timescale, and where it comes from
Suspected gas leak or smell of gas	Immediate — call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 and follow their instructions
C1 or C2 code on an EICR	28 days, or shorter if the report specifies, with written confirmation to the tenant — Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020
Fixed electrical installation inspection	At least every 5 years — Electrical Safety Standards (PRS) (England) Regulations 2020
Gas appliance and flue safety check	Every 12 months — Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
Smoke or carbon monoxide alarm reported faulty	Repair or replace as soon as reasonably practicable — Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, as amended in 2022
Category 1 hazard found under HHSRS	The council has a duty to take enforcement action — Housing Act 2004, Part 1
Structure, exterior or installations in disrepair	A reasonable time from notice — Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11, no fixed period

How a council can force the pace

A tenant who is not getting anywhere can go to the local authority, and in London they frequently do. Under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004, an environmental health officer inspects the property and rates hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, which assesses 29 categories of hazard including damp and mould growth, excess cold, falls, fire and electrical hazards. Where a hazard is rated Category 1, the authority has a duty to take enforcement action rather than a discretion. The options include an improvement notice requiring specified works within a stated period, a hazard awareness notice, a prohibition order restricting use of part or all of the property, and emergency remedial action where the hazard poses an imminent risk, which the council can carry out itself and bill to the landlord. There is a further consequence landlords often miss. Under the Deregulation Act 2015, where a council serves a relevant improvement notice or takes emergency remedial action after a tenant has complained about the condition of the property, the landlord's ability to serve a Section 21 notice is restricted for a period. Ignoring a repair report and then trying to end the tenancy is the sequence that most reliably converts a repair problem into a possession problem.

Damp, mould and the direction of travel

Damp and mould are now the sharpest end of landlord repair liability, and the standards are tightening rather than loosening. Awaab's Law, introduced through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, sets legally binding timescales for social landlords to investigate reported damp and mould hazards and to begin repairs, with emergencies handled faster. It currently applies to social housing, and its extension to the private rented sector is being taken forward through the Renters' Rights reforms and secondary legislation, with the exact timescales for private lets still being confirmed. The sensible position for a London landlord is to work now as though fixed timescales already apply: acknowledge the report immediately, inspect to establish the cause rather than the symptom, and carry out the repair without waiting to see whether the tenant chases. That is also the approach that satisfies Section 11, the fitness duty and the HHSRS assessment simultaneously, because all three are ultimately asking whether the cause was dealt with. The cause is the operative word. Wiping down mould, applying anti-mould paint or telling a tenant to open more windows does not discharge the duty where the underlying problem is a failed gutter, blown pointing, a leaking waste pipe or absent extract ventilation.

What it costs a landlord to get this wrong

A disrepair claim is rarely about the cost of the repair. It is about damages for the period the tenant lived with the defect, the tenant's legal costs, and the cost of doing the work under pressure rather than as planned maintenance. General damages for disrepair are commonly assessed by reference to the reduction in value of the tenancy to the tenant over the period of the breach, which in practice is often expressed as a proportion of the rent. Special damages cover identifiable losses such as damaged belongings, additional heating costs or the cost of alternative accommodation. A court can also order specific performance, requiring the works to be carried out. Separately, enforcement under the Housing Act 2004 can produce a financial penalty, and works carried out by the council as emergency remedial action are recharged to the landlord at the council's cost rather than the landlord's contractor rate. Against that, the economics of planned repair are straightforward. The gutter, the pointing, the waste connection and the extract fan are cheap when they are maintenance and expensive when they are evidence.

A practical repair-response process

The process that keeps a London landlord on the right side of Section 11 is short and mostly administrative. Acknowledge every repair report in writing on the day it arrives, recording the date and the tenant's description. Inspect promptly, and inspect to find the cause rather than to confirm the symptom, using a trade that can tell the difference between condensation, penetrating damp and a leak. Give the tenant a written diagnosis and a target date, and tell them when the target date moves and why. Complete the work, photograph it, and keep the invoice with the report on the same file. Where access is the obstacle, use the Section 11 right of entry properly: 24 hours' notice in writing, at a reasonable time of day, with a record of each attempt. A landlord who has three documented refused appointments is in a wholly different position from one who has a gap in the file. We carry out landlord repairs, damp and leak remediation and compliance works across London for landlords and managing agents, with written diagnosis and dated photographic records that go straight onto the property file.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 cover?

Section 11 requires the landlord to keep in repair the structure and exterior of the dwelling, including drains, gutters and external pipes, and to keep in repair and proper working order the installations for the supply of water, gas and electricity, for sanitation, and for space heating and heating water. It applies to leases granted for a term of under seven years.

Can a tenancy agreement make the tenant responsible for these repairs?

No. Section 12 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 makes void any agreement that purports to exclude or limit the Section 11 obligations, unless a county court has authorised it. A clause making the tenant responsible for the boiler, the gutters or the drains is unenforceable, however clearly it is worded.

How long does a landlord have to carry out a repair?

Section 11 says only that the repair must be done within a reasonable time of the landlord having notice, and reasonableness depends on the severity of the defect, the risk to health and safety, the scale of the work and how promptly the landlord responded. Some parallel regimes do fix timescales, such as the 28-day limit for remedying C1 and C2 electrical faults under the 2020 electrical safety regulations.

When does a landlord's repair obligation start?

For a defect inside the let property, the obligation is triggered once the landlord has notice of the disrepair, so the date the report is received is the date the clock starts. The tenant does not have to diagnose the problem correctly, only to give information that would put a reasonable landlord on inquiry. For retained parts and common parts, the landlord is generally taken to know the condition already.

Does Section 11 cover damp and mould?

It covers damp and mould that result from disrepair, such as a failed gutter, blown pointing or a leaking pipe. It does not cover condensation dampness where nothing has deteriorated, which was the outcome in Quick v Taff Ely Borough Council. In those cases the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 is the relevant duty, because it addresses fitness rather than disrepair.

What can a tenant do if repairs are not carried out?

A tenant can report the property to the local authority, which will inspect under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and must take enforcement action where a Category 1 hazard is found. A tenant can also bring a claim for breach of the repairing covenant or under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, seeking damages and an order that the works be carried out.

Can a landlord enter to inspect the condition of the property?

Yes. Section 11 gives the landlord or an authorised person the right to enter at reasonable times of day to view the condition and state of repair, on giving 24 hours' notice in writing to the occupier. Keeping a record of each notice given and each appointment refused matters if access later becomes the reason a repair was delayed.

Landlord Repair Obligations in London: Section 11 and Reasonable Time