Advice and help for private and housing association tenantsThe Housing Enforcement Unit has powers under the law to force landlords to ensure that their properties are free from certain hazards. This service is free and available to any tenants who rent their property from a private landlord or housing association.
What are my landlord's responsibilities?
Your landlord is responsible for repairing and maintaining your home. This normally includes anything to do with the structure of your home both inside and out. It also includes providing basic facilities that may be missing, such as a bath or shower, a hand basin or hot water.
Landlords of 'houses of multiple occupation' (HMOs) such as bedsits or shared houses, have extra responsibilities. These include provision of adequate fire protection, cleaning communal areas of the property and ensuring the property is not overcrowded. Some HMOs are required to be  licensed
What sort of problems can you help me with?
If you live in a 'single family house' (e.g. a home for one family or household) or a 'house of multiple occupation' (e.g. a shared house or bedsit), we can help you with problems such as
- A leaking roof or rotten window
- Dampness
- Poor natural lighting
- Excess heat or cold
- A poor or dangerous electrical supply or gas appliances
- Lack of healthy drinking water
- Poor kitchen facilities
- Getting an outdoor WC moved inside
- No shower and bath
- Blocked or broken drains
- Poor design or disrepair of areas such as bathrooms or stairs and balconies that can cause accidents in the home
If you live in a 'house in multiple occupation', we can also help you with
- Fire Protection, including fire doors, extinguishers, fire blankets & smoke detectors
- Adequate cleaning of shared areas - this is your landlords responsibility
- Shared facilities - no more than 5 people should be expected to share a kitchen, bathroom or WC
- Overcrowding - this can apply to the whole property or to the size of the rooms you live in
Where do I start?
If you have a problem with your accommodation, you should tell your landlord first. If your landlord doesn't respond to your complaint, we can take action to ensure the problem is dealt with.
Once we have inspected the problem with your home, and agreed that action needs to be taken, we will contact your landlord informing him or her of what needs to be done in order to fix the problem(s). We may be required to serve a notice on your landlord under the powers contained in the Housing Act 2004 in order to get the required actions taken. We can prosecute your landlord if the conditions of the notice are not carried out
How long will it take to sort out?
It can vary depending on what we are asking the landlord to do and how urgent the matter is. However we will keep you fully informed of all the stages and send you copies of any notices we serve. If the problem is urgent, such as a blocked toilet, leaking roof or dangerous electrics, we can deal with it more quickly. The officer who visits will explain what we can do in these cases.
Will my tenancy be affected?
No, your tenancy should not be affected by any action we take. If you are worried you can contact the housing advice service, or we can contact them on your behalf.
Before the work starts...
If we serve a notice on your landlord asking them to carry out major work on your home, you should contact your landlord to get an agreement before the work starts. This agreement should include things like
- Protection of your personal belongings
- Reimbursement of the cost of electricity used by the builder
Our housing advice service will be able to give you advice on how to do this. If you need any emergency repairs during this time, you should contact your case officer straight away.
Your landlord should let you know when and how the work is to be done. They should also give you at least seven days notice of the start date. If you need longer to prepare, you must tell your landlord. The Tenancy Relations Service can help if your landlord is not cooperative
What should I expect while the work is being carried out?
If builders need access to your home, you should allow them reasonable access (8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday). Your landlord must make sure that the builders leave everything safe, secure, watertight and tidy every night. They must make sure you have working facilities such as heating, a toilet and water supply. Your case officer will check regularly to see whether your landlord is meeting the conditions of the notice. You can help by letting the officer know when work starts and if there are any problems.
What about redecorating?
Your landlord does not have to redecorate, but if the decorations in your home are affected by the repairs, they should repair any damage. For example, if part of the ceiling has been replastered, it should also be repainted. If a wallpapered wall is repaired, the landlord's builder should re-paper the repaired area so that it matches. We can advise you how much redecoration should reasonably be done, but we cannot force your landlord to do it.
What happens if major work is needed?
If your home needs major work done to it, and it is not reasonable to expect you to live there while it's carried out, we will try to negotiate a temporary housing agreement with your landlord. This may mean that you have to move to another part of the building, or to a different property while the work is carried out. If this isn't possible, we may be able to provide temporary accommodation and ensure that you don't lose your tenancy rights. If you do need to move temporarily we will explain who is responsible for things like furniture removal costs etc.
Who is responsible for any costs?
Your landlord pays for the cost of the work. They may be able to get a grant from the council to help with that cost.
Will my rent go up?
If only minor repairs are made, it is unlikely that the rent will change. Major renovation will almost certainly result in your rent going up. To assess possible rent changes the local rent officer will usually need to visit the property. This is normally done after we have served the notice and your landlord has made a formal grant application.
If you are on housing benefit, any rent should be taken into account in your benefit payments. If you do not receive benefit, the increase may make you eligible to claim benefit. You can get advice about this from housing benefits.
What happens if my landlord disagrees with the notice?
Your landlord can appeal if they disagree with the work we have requested. When this happens the case will go to a residential property tribunal for a decision. Unfortunately this often causes a delay. In the meantime we may be able to take other action. However, this action will only be to make the property safe and wind and weather tight until the appeal is heard. We will tell you if an appeal is made and discuss the options we have.
What if my landlord ignores the notice?
If your landlord does not do the work in the time shown in the notice we have a range of options. We can
- Prosecute your landlord
- Do the work ourselves and charge your landlord for the costs we incur
- Do the work ourselves and prosecute your landlord
What if my landlord harasses me or tries to make me leave?
If your landlord harasses you, they may be guilty of a crime. Make a note of any particular incidences and contact the tenancy relations service . If there is a serious incident, call the police.
What action can I take?
You may be tempted to stop paying your rent if your landlord is neglecting the property. You shouldn't do this without getting advice from a solicitor or advice agency. If you owe several weeks' rent, it will give your landlord a reason to evict you.
You may be able to take legal action against your landlord to get compensation. You may also be able to get an order making them do the work. However, this shouldn't be necessary if we are taking action. If you do want to do this, you should contact a private solicitor or the housing advice service.
What if I'm not happy with your service?
If you are not happy with our service, please contact the Housing Enforcement Unit Manager on 020 7525 5717. To make a complaint or comment online, please go to our contact pages. We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days. We will then carry out a full investigation and tell you the outcome within ten working days.
Our Commitments to You
We are committed to delivering an excellent service to the community in Southwark. Our promises to you are detailed in our professional service standards
- We will respond to your request quickly
- We will give you the name and phone number of the officer dealing with your case
- Our staff will be professional and polite
- We will consult you if major work is needed
- We keep you informed regularly
Download a copy of our Enforcement Policy (26kb). To view this document requires Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded for free.
You can help us deal with your problem quickly and efficiently by
- Allowing us into your property
- Telling us if your circumstances change
- Letting us know exactly what you want
- Keeping your appointments with us
Contact us
You can request help and information by completing this online form or by using the contact details below
Housing Enforcement Unit
Tel: 020 7525 2000
Fax: 020 7525 3077
resi@southwark.gov.uk
Community Safety & Enforcement
The Chaplin Centre
Thurlow Street
London
SE17 2DG
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.00pm
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