We can help if your landlord is refusing to do repairs
Make sure you have followed these steps before you report the problem to us.
As a private tenant, you have the legal right to live in a property that is safe and in a good state of repair. The Manchester renting pledge is a list of standards a good landlord and tenant should follow.
If you are a Housing Association tenant please follow their processes
Contact your landlord
You must speak to your landlord first:
- write to your landlord explaining the problem. There's a sample reminder letter on the Shelter website
- wait two weeks or longer after you first report the problem. If nothing is done, then contact your landlord again
- wait another two weeks, if you haven't heard back from your landlord
- send a final letter or email to your landlord giving them 48 hours to respond, and
- keep copies of all correspondence.
Collect evidence
Collect evidence about the problem, such as:
- photographs
- copies of any letters sent to or received from the landlord
- receipts, reports or bills from professionals who have looked at the problem, or
- a note from a doctor if the problem is affecting someone’s health.
If you don't receive a response after 48 hours then report the repair problem with your landlord to us and we will investigate.
OR
Get more advice first if it's an immediate danger, or serious threat to health or security, such as:
- a leak near electrics
- an external door that can’t be locked
- no cooking facilities
- a permanent loss of heating in the house in winter
- a flood, or
- something that particularly affects vulnerable people, for example, a baby, someone who is old and infirm, or a person with a relevant medical condition or disability.