Landlord Repair Response Times in the UK: What's 'Reasonable'?
Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires you to repair in 'a reasonable time' from when you're told about a problem — but it sets no fixed number of days, and what counts as reasonable depends on how urgent the defect is. The benchmarks below are practical rules of thumb the sector uses, not legal deadlines. Here's how the three categories of repair tend to work.
By Theo Chavannes, Founder, FixRoute
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Gas leaks, total loss of heating in winter, structural danger, flooding, complete electrical failure, and security risks (broken locks) are emergencies. Here the practical expectation is a response within 24 hours, ideally same-day. For a genuine emergency, tenants should call the relevant emergency service first (the National Gas Emergency line is 0800 111 999). Your job is to coordinate the repair.
Urgent repairs: 3–7 days
Partial heating failure, significant leaks that aren't flooding, serious damp, broken appliances in the kitchen, and similar issues that make the property uncomfortable but not uninhabitable. Three to seven days is the general benchmark, with faster response expected in winter or where vulnerable tenants are involved.
Non-urgent repairs: up to 28 days
Cosmetic damage, minor appliance faults, things that are inconvenient but not urgent. Up to about 28 days is a widely used yardstick for routine repairs, as long as the tenant is kept informed — but it's an industry rule of thumb, not a figure fixed by statute or the courts. Don't let non-urgent repairs silently age past it; that's where disputes start. (For context, the social rented sector now has binding timescales for hazards such as damp and mould under Awaab's Law — but those rules don't apply to private landlords.)
Why documentation matters more than speed
Most disputes don't arise because a landlord was slow — they arise because there's no record of what happened. A timestamped record showing you received the report on Day 1, assigned a contractor on Day 2, and the contractor confirmed on Day 3 is far more valuable in a dispute than 'I sorted it, I think it was that week'. FixRoute creates this timestamped record automatically — every action from report to completion is logged.
This is general information, not legal advice — check the GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk sources listed at the end, or a qualified solicitor or surveyor, for your situation.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly does a landlord legally have to fix a repair in England?
UK law requires repairs within a reasonable time from when you're told about the problem — Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 sets no fixed number of days. The sector uses practical benchmarks: around 24 hours for genuine emergencies (no heat in winter, flooding, gas leak), 3–7 days for urgent but non-emergency faults, and up to 28 days for routine repairs. These are industry rules of thumb, not statutory deadlines.
What counts as an emergency repair for a landlord?
Emergency repairs include complete loss of heating in winter, gas leaks, flooding, total electrical failure, structural danger, and broken locks that pose a security risk. The practical expectation is a response within 24 hours, ideally the same day. For a gas emergency, tenants should call the National Gas Emergency line (0800 111 999) first — your job is to get the repair sorted.
Does the 28-day repair rule apply to private landlords in England?
There's no statutory 28-day rule for private landlords — 28 days is a widely used industry rule of thumb for non-urgent routine repairs, not a figure fixed by law or the courts. Awaab's Law introduced binding timescales for the social rented sector from October 2025, but those don't apply to private landlords. For private lets, the legal standard remains reasonable time judged by the urgency of the defect.
How do I prove I responded to a repair on time?
Documentation matters more than speed. A timestamped record showing you received the report, assigned a contractor, and the work was completed is far more useful in a dispute than a rough recollection of when you think you sorted it. FixRoute logs every action with a server-side timestamp — report, assignment, contractor acceptance, completion — giving you a clear timeline if a tenant or local authority ever asks.