My Landlord Hasn't Fixed the Repair: What Should I Do Next?
A reported repair is still unresolved. Learn how to follow up, ask for a clear plan and use the right complaints route in England.
If your landlord has not fixed a reported repair, follow up with the original reference, explain what remains wrong and ask for a clear next action. If the handling is unsatisfactory, use the appropriate complaints route while continuing to report urgent or worsening conditions.
This guide is for renters in England. Council, housing association and private tenants can have different routes. It is general information, not advice on an individual dispute.
First, check whether the situation has become urgent
A repair can become more serious while you are waiting. Tell your landlord about a worsening leak, failed heating or another change affecting safety or essential services, including who in the household is affected.
Use the emergency repairs channel for an immediate safety concern. Do not wait for a complaint response or a complete evidence file before reporting it.
Awaab's Law has specific deadlines for qualifying hazards in social housing. As of 2 November 2026, Phase 1 is in force; the government's Phase 2 guidance identifies 30 November 2026 for the expansion to further significant hazards. These rules are not a universal timetable for every repair or private tenancy.
Put the unresolved work into one clear update
Gather the repair reference, first report date, appointments and the latest response. Keep the update short enough for someone unfamiliar with the case to understand it.
Explain:
- What you originally reported.
- What visits or work have happened.
- What remains unresolved.
- Any change in the condition or effect on your household.
- What action or information you need next.
Our repair evidence guide helps organise supporting records. You do not need to resend every photograph or message each time.
Ask for an action, an owner and an update date
A useful follow-up asks who is arranging the next inspection or work, what that stage will involve and when you should receive an update.
If a part or another trade is needed, ask how that follow-on work is being tracked. If the landlord says the job is complete, describe the continuing problem and ask for the record to be reviewed.
You can adapt this wording:
“I reported [problem] on [date], reference [number]. Since then, [visits or work]. The outstanding issue is [description]. Please confirm the next action, who is arranging it and when I should expect an update.”
Keep your own dates in the message; this is a template, not a statement that a particular legal deadline has passed.
When does following up become a complaint?
Reporting a fault is a service request. A complaint expresses dissatisfaction with the service or something the landlord has done or failed to do.
For example, repeated unexplained delays, missed commitments or poor communication may lead you to complain about the handling of a repair. Make clear that you want the matter considered under the complaints process, and say what would put things right.
For council and housing association tenants, the Housing Ombudsman's complaints guidance explains the usual two-stage process. Ask for the landlord's policy and retain acknowledgements and responses.
Complaint deadlines are not repair deadlines
Under the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code, the standard response periods are 10 working days after acknowledgement at stage 1 and 20 at stage 2. Extensions can apply and should be explained.
Those periods concern the complaint response. They do not give a landlord permission to postpone urgent safety work, or mean every repair must be completed within that response period.
Our landlord repair-times guide explains the separate question of repair urgency and applicable duties.
Where can you get help?
Social housing residents can use our Housing Ombudsman guide to understand the next route. The Ombudsman can also help where a member landlord is not responding to a complaint; check its current contact arrangements.
Private tenants should not assume that the same route applies. GOV.UK's repairs guidance explains contacting the landlord and seeking help with unresolved conditions. Independent housing advice can help identify the appropriate council or legal route.
Do not withhold rent or arrange deductions without specialist advice.
Keep the outcome connected to the original report
Add subsequent visits, decisions and outcomes to the same timeline. If work is done, record whether the original issue appears resolved.
House Krowd can help keep that history together. Continue sending reports and complaints through your landlord's channels; recording an update in your home record does not itself notify the landlord.
Sources and review date
Guidance checked on 2 November 2026. Recheck time-sensitive rules before relying on them.