One in three agents and landlords have 'refused' a repair, claim tenants

Another survey suggests that approaching 50 per cent of tenants experience unreasonable delays in getting repair work done - and one in three tenants has faced a letting agent or landlord refusing to fix a broken item.

That is the conclusion from a survey commissioned by online letting agency PropertyLetByUs. 

“Our research shows that the most common cause of complaints are faulty boilers; leaking roofs; faulty showers; mould and condensation; leaking bathroom and window locks; broken windows; smoke alarms; and pests and vermin. Landlords and agents should deal with tenant repair requests quickly and ensure they use qualified and experienced contractors to carry out the work” says the agency’s director, Jane Morris.

She says her company has set out guidelines for what she regards as reasonable response times: 

- Landlords and agents have a duty of care to advise tenants on the correct course of action while contractors are organised, such as turning off gas taps, water stop cocks or main electricity supplies, to ensure that any problem does not cause danger to life and property;

- Any gas or major electrical fault is classed as urgent and should be attended to within 24 hours or less. This also applies when heating or hot water is affected, especially during cold weather;

- Water leaks - within 24 hours;

- Cookers - within 48 hours;

- Broken washing machines, dish washers etc should be attended to within 72 hours.