Understanding Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act: Repairs London Landlords Must Do

What Is Section 11?

Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 is the core statutory provision governing repair obligations for residential landlords in England and Wales. It applies to all assured shorthold tenancies — the standard form of tenancy for London rental properties. Crucially, it cannot be contracted out of: any tenancy agreement clause attempting to place Section 11 obligations on the tenant is void.

What Section 11 Requires Landlords to Repair

Section 11 obliges the landlord to keep in repair and proper working order:

• The structure and exterior of the dwelling: Roof, external walls, foundations, external doors and windows, and external pipes and drains. This includes gutters and rainwater pipes.
• Installations for the supply of water, gas and electricity: Mains supply connections, internal supply pipes, and electrical wiring. Not appliances supplied with the property — the fixed installations only.
• Installations for space heating and water heating: Boilers, central heating systems, hot water cylinders. This is the provision under which landlords must repair a broken boiler — it is a Section 11 obligation, not a discretionary choice.
• Drains, gutters, and external pipes that serve the dwelling.
• Basins, sinks, baths, and sanitary conveniences: Fixed sanitaryware supplied with the property.

What Section 11 Does NOT Cover

Section 11 does not impose an obligation to:

• Repair damage caused by the tenant (or their guests)
• Repair items that are tenant-supplied (if the tenant installed a boiler, the landlord is not responsible for it under Section 11)
• Rebuild or reinstate the property following destruction by fire, flood, or similar event beyond the landlord's control
• Keep in repair anything that is in a better state of repair than it was at the start of the tenancy
• Repair decorative items, furniture, or appliances supplied by the landlord but not fixed installations

Section 11 Repair Timelines

Section 11 requires repair within a "reasonable time." What is reasonable depends on the nature and urgency of the defect:

• Immediately dangerous or emergency: Gas leaks, total loss of heating in winter, flooding from structural failure — 24 hours to attend, resolution as quickly as practicable
• Urgent: No hot water, no heating in winter, significant water ingress — 3–5 working days
• Non-urgent: Minor water pressure issue, slow draining, non-urgent structural issue — 28 days is generally accepted as reasonable by courts

Notice Requirement

A landlord's Section 11 obligation is only triggered once they have been notified of the defect by the tenant. A landlord cannot be liable for a defect they did not know about. However, once notified, the obligation is immediate — the landlord cannot delay action pending their own inspection or decision-making.

Consequences of Non-Compliance

If a landlord fails to comply with Section 11 obligations, tenants have several remedies:

• Disrepair claim: The tenant can sue in the county court for damages and an order requiring repair. Damages cover the period of discomfort and inconvenience from the date of notification to the date of repair.
• Right to Repair: For assured tenants, the Right to Repair Scheme allows the tenant to arrange the repair themselves and deduct the cost from rent if the landlord fails to repair a qualifying defect within the required time.
• Local authority enforcement: The council's environmental health team can inspect under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and issue improvement notices or prohibition orders where Section 11 defects create hazards.
• Section 11 and Section 21 interaction: Serving a Section 21 notice while a Section 11 defect exists (notified by the tenant) is complex — the Deregulation Act 2015 prevents serving Section 21 in response to legitimate repair complaints (retaliatory eviction protection).