Private Rented Tenants Advice

You as a Tenant should;

• Look after the property. You may need to get your Landlord's permission to undertake repairs or to re-decorate. You will also be responsible for maintaining gardens, to utilise refuse and recycling facilities.
• Be responsible and avoid engaging or causing anti-social behaviour.
• Ensure that you know how to operate the boiler and other appliances, as well as know where meters, fuse box and stop cock are located.
• Test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors at least once a month to ensure they are working.
• Report any need for repairs or maintenance to your Landlord or Agent at the earliest possible time, to avoid a major repair problem.

Your Landlord or Agent has various responsibilities including:

• Maintaining the structure and exterior of the property.
• Maintain in good working order any appliances or furniture that they have supplied, including portable appliance testing of electrical items such as fridges or cookers, which are fixtures of the property.
• Making sure all gas equipment is safely installed and maintained. Arranging an annual gas safety check which is undertaken by a qualified Gas Engineer.
• Ensuring that the property meets fire safety regulations.
• Providing you with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for the property.
• Ensuring they (Landlord or Agent) are registered and licensed to act as a Landlord. The registration and licensing scheme will be delivered through Rent Smart Wales.
• Carry out repairs that they are responsible for, giving you at least 24 hours notice of visits when they need to access your home (i.e. for repairs).
• Insure the building to cover the cost of any damage from fire or flooding.

Requesting a service

Stage 1

1. You are expected to contact your Landlord or Agent in the first instance and inform them of the problem. We would ask that you request your Landlord or Agent confirm in writing (ie. by letter, email or text message) how long it will take to complete any repairs, so that you are aware of the timescales for completion.
2. If works have not been completed within the specified timescales, contact your Landlord or Agent for an update giving them an opportunity to respond to the matter and provide a further deadline for work to be completed. We would ask that you contact them in writing (e.g. by letter, email or text message) so that you have a record of your request.
3. If the deadline passes and repairs have still not been completed, notify your Landlord that you have no other option but to raise your concerns with the Council’s Housing Enforcement Team and proceed to Stage 2.

Stage 2

1. We will only accept complaints where you have followed the steps in Stage 1 and reported your concerns to your Landlord or Agent.  You will be required to confirm the date you first submitted your concerns / request for repairs, as well as a second date where you chased your Landlord or Agent. 
2. Contact us and we will look to investigate the matter for you. We will need your details, your landlord / agent's name and contact details and a description of the problem(s). Please note that if you are a Council Tenant, you must direct your complaint to your local Council Housing Officer.
3. We prioritise complaints dependent on tenant vulnerability and the type of hazard(s) identified. Please be aware that it could take up to two weeks to respond to your complaint if it is assessed as a ‘Low Priority’. In the meantime, whilst you wait for your complaint to be prioritised, we would recommend you visit any of the links below that relate to your complaint.
4. We will then contact you and arrange a visit to inspect your property for hazards. Your Landlord or Letting Agent will also be notified of the visit following a complaint made from their tenant. Depending on the complaint, the Landlord or Agent may be required to attend when we inspect the property.
5. Any hazards that are identified will be assessed and, where necessary, the owner will be required to undertake works to reduce the identified hazards to an acceptable level.
6. If the owner does not agree to complete the works within a reasonable timescale then we may take enforcement action under the Housing Act 2004 to make sure the repairs are completed.

Report a housing concern