Private tenants: what to do if you have a problem with your home

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If you have a problem with your home, you should contact your landlord or management agent in the first instance. If you have already asked but feel they have failed to carry out an essential repair or that it hasn’t been done to a satisfactory level, then we may be able to help. This also applies if you are in temporary accommodation – it is the landlord who is responsible for making repairs.

Problems we can support you with:

  • rotten or broken windows or doors that may be causing a risk to your health or safety
  • bathrooms, kitchens and toilets that are inadequate or in severe disrepair
  • disconnection of gas, water or electricity
  • restoring heating or hot water
  • making dangerous electrical or gas appliances safe
  • addressing damp and mould and improving heating systems or ventilation 

Report a property in poor repair

Anyone can report an issue affecting a privately rented property to the Housing Regulatory Services team, even if they are not the tenant themselves.

To be able to investigate your complaint more quickly, we will need:

  • your full address and contact details
  • your landlord's contact details
  • details of your housing issue
  • any documents you think may help us with our investigations (for example, tenancy agreement, photographs)

This information will help the council to process your complaint more quickly.

Report a problem

Once you have submitted your complaint you can send any photos of the issue you are complaining of to housingconditions@barnet.gov.uk adding the property address the photos relate to in the subject box of the email.

What happens next

Once you report a possible disrepair you can expect to be contacted within 5 working days, this may be by email or phone. If your complaint is deemed urgent by a member of the team then we will be in contact within 1 working day.

Your allocated Officer may need to visit your home and identify any hazards that could lead to harm whilst the property is in use. If they think your home has serious health and safety hazards we will look to take action.

Enforcement policy

Wherever possible, we will try to work with your landlord to make the property safe.

If the landlord doesn’t agree to work with us, then we will look to take formal action. This means we could:

  • serve an improvement notice requiring remedial works (the most likely action)
  • make a prohibition order, which closes the whole or part of a dwelling or restricts the number of permitted occupants
  • serve a hazard awareness notice
  • take emergency remedial action
  • make an emergency prohibition or demolition order
  • include the property in a clearance area

The statutory notice will set out the work needs to be done and will specify timescales in which it must be completed.

If the landlord fails to carry out legally required work, we may prosecute them via the local magistrates' court. If found guilty, the court will normally issue a fine and/or other instructions.

Anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour is any action that causes harassment, alarm or distress to one or more people not of the same household. Read our Anti-social behaviour page for more information. 

Hotel, hostel and other accommodation

We also monitor and inspect hostels, hotels and other accommodation that the council use to temporarily house people in, to make sure they meet the required standards.

This area of our service operates under the Setting the Standards (StS) regime, where we share information gathered with all other London councils as appropriate.

More information for private tenants

Protection against eviction

Since October 2014 it has been illegal to evict tenants where there is an investigation being conducted by Housing Regulatory services. This is to protect tenants who may be concerned about revenge evictions.

Mayors rogue landlord checker

All London councils have agreed to participate in the Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker, which contains information about private landlords and letting agents who have been prosecuted or fined. Please visit the Check a landlord or agent for further information.

Fitness for human habitation

The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (HFHHA 2018) creates a  right for tenants where their landlords have failed to maintain their home to the appropriate standard. For more information please read the guide for tenants: Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Rent repayment orders

Tenants and former tenants can reclaim up to 12 months' rent with a rent repayment order (RRO) if the landlord has committed a housing-related offence, more information can be found on Shelters webpage. 

A tenant can make an application to the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) for a RRO and this should be made as soon as possible.  

Tenants can get help with their application from a Citizens Advice Bureau, a student union or other organisations offering housing advice. 

The laws protecting tenants still apply and a landlord has no right to make a tenant leave their home because they are applying for a RRO. 

Please note: only private tenants and the council can apply for RROs, this is not available to council tenants or tenants of housing associations or arms length management organisations. 

Issues with your letting agent

If you are having problems with your agent there are steps you can take to get help. If, for example, you think the agent has:

  • Charged you too much
  • Not told you about charges in advance
  • Charged you and landlord for the same thing

If your agent is registered with a trade association speak to the association for advice.

If you think your letting agent has acted illegally you can contact Consumer Direct or phone 03454 04 05 06

Check what financial support you can get

If you’re finding it difficult to keep on top of your bills, or you’ve had a change in circumstances and aren’t sure of the support you’re entitled to, the council’s benefit calculator can help you understand what benefits you can claim. Click here to check what financial support may be available.

Further advice and information

If you're a Barnet Homes tenant, find information which is relevant to you at the Barnet Homes website.

Barnet's community skip service

You can get rid of up to 3 large unwanted household items every 3 months for free using the community skip service.

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