Landlord or tenant — who fixes what in a Birmingham rental? A plain-English repairs guide

It's one of the most common questions we get asked on the phone — by tenants who've been told to sort something themselves, and by landlords who genuinely aren't sure where the line sits. The good news is that most of it is settled and fairly clear. This guide from the Property Edge repairs team sets out the split in plain English for renters, landlords and letting agents across Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and the wider Midlands. It's general guidance, not legal advice — if you're in a dispute, get proper advice from a solicitor, Citizens Advice or your council's housing team.

What the landlord is responsible for

For almost all residential tenancies of under seven years, Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 puts a set of repairing duties on the landlord that cannot be contracted out of. A clause in your tenancy agreement saying otherwise doesn't override it. In short, the landlord must keep in repair:

• The structure and exterior of the property — walls, roof, chimneys, guttering, external pipes, windows and external doors. That covers a leaking roof or failed pointing letting water in.
• Installations for the supply of water, gas and electricity — pipework, wiring, taps and stopcocks. Our plumbing and emergency repairs teams are called out to these most weeks.
• Sanitary fittings — basins, sinks, baths and toilets, plus their waste pipes.
• Installations for space heating and heating water — the boiler, radiators and immersion heater.

On top of that, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 requires the property to be fit to live in at the start of and throughout the tenancy. That's a wider test than pure repair — it takes in things like serious damp and mould, inadequate ventilation, unsafe stairs and a lack of natural light, even where nothing is technically 'broken'.

The safety checks a landlord must arrange

Separate from repairs, there's a compliance layer that sits squarely with the landlord and runs on a clock:

• An annual gas safety check on every gas appliance and flue, carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with a copy of the record given to the tenant.
• An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) at least every five years in England's private rented sector, with a copy given to the tenant and any required remedial work done.
• Working smoke alarms on every storey used as living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (gas cookers excepted). Landlords must make sure they're working at the start of each tenancy.
• A valid EPC, and — for licensable properties — compliance with the conditions on the licence itself. See our HMO guide if you let to sharers.

What the tenant is responsible for

The tenant's core duty is to use the property in a 'tenant-like manner' — a long-standing test that essentially means doing the small jobs any reasonable occupier would do, and not causing damage. In practice that usually covers:

• Changing light bulbs, smoke alarm batteries where they're the replaceable type, and fuses in plugs.
• Unblocking a sink, basin or toilet that's blocked by what's been put down it.
• Keeping the property reasonably ventilated and heated, and wiping down condensation where it forms.
• Basic garden upkeep, if the tenancy agreement says so.
• Repairing damage caused by the tenant, their household or their visitors — accidental or otherwise.
• Reporting problems promptly, and giving reasonable access for repairs and safety checks.

The last two matter more than people think. A small leak reported in week one is a call-out and a new washer; the same leak reported six months later can be a ceiling, a floor and a rewire. And a repair the landlord can't get access to is a repair that stalls — with the delay landing on the tenant, not the landlord.

The grey areas we get called about most

Blocked drains

If it's blocked by wipes, fat or hair from normal use, that's usually the tenant's. If it's blocked because the pipe has collapsed, has fallen out of fall, or roots have got into it, that's a structural defect and the landlord's. A camera survey settles it quickly and is usually cheaper than the argument.

Broken white goods

A washing machine or fridge supplied as part of a furnished let generally has to be kept in working order by the landlord under the tenancy agreement — but it's not covered by Section 11, so read the agreement. Appliances the tenant brought with them are always the tenant's.

A boiler that keeps losing pressure

Topping the system back up via the filling loop is a reasonable tenant job and a two-minute one. A boiler that loses pressure repeatedly is a fault — a leak somewhere on the system, or a failed expansion vessel — and that's the landlord's to get investigated properly rather than re-pressurised every fortnight.

Decorating and wear and tear

Fair wear and tear is expected and can't be charged to a tenant at the end of a tenancy. Scuffed paint after three years is wear; a wall the tenant drilled twelve holes into isn't. Landlords planning a between-tenancy refresh can look at our refurbishment and void turnaround work.

How to report a repair so it actually gets fixed

Whether you're a tenant chasing a landlord or a landlord chasing a contractor, the same things speed it up:

• Put it in writing — email or the agent's portal — even if you've already phoned. You want a dated record.
• Say what it is, where it is, when it started and whether it's getting worse.
• Send photos, and a short video if it's a leak, a noise or an intermittent fault.
• Say clearly if it's affecting heating, hot water, water supply or safety — that changes the priority.
• Offer access times rather than waiting to be asked for them.
• Keep every reply. If it ends up in front of the council or a court, the paper trail is the case.

Where we fit in

We work for landlords, letting agents and registered providers across the Midlands on exactly this kind of work: reactive repairs at £55 an hour for general repairs, 24/7 emergency call-out for leaks and failures that can't wait, damp investigations that tell you honestly whether it's a defect or condensation, and HMO compliance work for licensed properties. If you'd rather have one contractor who reports back properly and doesn't disappear mid-job, book a landlord repair or get in touch and we'll take a look.