Landlords have a responsibility to maintain rented property in a satisfactory condition.
Using the tenancy or contract
Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the tenant could take their landlord to court if they fail to carry out repairs after being informed of them. The court can order the Landlord to undertake the repairs and award damages to the tenant.
Tenants should report any defects to the landlord in writing, giving them an opportunity to fix the problem. If the problem is not resolved, then tenants can come to the Council or Citizens Advice Bureau (this page opens in a new window) for support.
Enforcement by the Council
The Council also has a duty to deal with unsatisfactory housing conditions in the private sector. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is the way we assess housing conditions.
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The HHSRS is a risk based system, for determining the effect of any defects on the health and safety of the occupants. The assessment relates defects to 29 hazards that can effect health.
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The hazards are assessed on the basis of the likelihood of an occurrence that could result in harm and the potential severity of the outcome if it did occur. A formula is used to give a score for the hazard and this will determine the category of the hazard.
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The council has a duty to deal with more serious hazards and a discretionary power to deal with lesser hazards. Powers include informal hazard awareness notices, formal improvement and prohibition notices plus specific provisions for dealing with urgent hazards.
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Any action taken by the Council will be in accordance with our enforcement policy [PDF] (97k).
For further information on HHSRS see the Government's Housing Health and Safety Rating System webpages (this pages opens in a new window).
Private Sector Housing Team
Guildford Borough Council
Millmead House
Millmead
Guildford
GU2 4BB
Tel: 01483 444302
Fax: 01483 444844
Email: privatesectorhousing@guildford.gov.uk