Tenant Rights in England: Repairs, Quiet Enjoyment and Eviction Protection
Your core rights as a tenant in England: a safe home, quiet enjoyment, repairs, deposit protection and — since 1 May 2026 — no more no-fault eviction.
Quick answer
Tenants in England have the right to live in a property that is safe and in a good state of repair, to live in it undisturbed (with at least 24 hours' notice before landlord visits except in emergencies), to see an Energy Performance Certificate, to have a deposit protected within 30 days, and to be protected from unfair eviction and unfair rent. Landlords must repair the structure and exterior, sanitary fittings, heating and hot water, gas and electrical installations; if they will not, the council's environmental health team must act where problems could harm you. Since 1 May 2026 no-fault section 21 evictions are abolished — landlords need a legal ground and usually 4 months' notice — and illegal eviction without a court order is a criminal offence with remedies including compensation and rent repayment orders.
Overview
Every tenant in England has a set of core legal rights that do not depend on what the tenancy agreement says: the right to live in a property that is safe and in a good state of repair, to live in the property undisturbed, to have a deposit protected, and to be protected from unfair eviction and unfair rent. Since 1 May 2026 those protections have been strengthened — a landlord now needs a legal reason to evict, ending the section 21 no-fault regime that made complaining feel risky. This guide covers each core right and how to enforce it, from the council's environmental health powers to the Awaab's Law repair deadlines.
Who Can Use This Process
- You rent your home in England — most rights below apply to private assured periodic tenancies
- The Awaab's Law repair deadlines currently apply to most people living in social housing with a tenancy agreement
- Separate housing law applies in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Step-by-Step Process
Know your baseline rights
As a tenant you have the right to: live in a property that's safe and in a good state of repair; have your deposit returned when the tenancy ends (and in some circumstances protected); challenge excessively high charges; know who your landlord is; live in the property undisturbed; see an Energy Performance Certificate for the property; and be protected from unfair eviction and unfair rent.
- These rights sit alongside your tenancy agreement — a contract term cannot take them away
- Ask in writing for your landlord's identity if you only ever deal with an agent
Enforce quiet enjoyment and control access
The right to 'live in the property undisturbed' means your landlord cannot come and go at will. For inspections or repairs the landlord should give at least 24 hours' notice, except in emergencies. Repeated unannounced visits, entering without consent or interfering with your home can amount to harassment.
- Propose written access windows for repairs — it protects both sides
- Log every unannounced visit with dates and photos in case you need council help
Get repairs done — the landlord's non-negotiables
Your landlord is always responsible for repairs to the property's structure and exterior; basins, sinks, baths and other sanitary fittings including pipes and drains; heating and hot water; gas appliances, pipes, flues and ventilation; electrical wiring; and any damage they cause by attempting repairs. You cannot be forced to do repairs that are your landlord's responsibility.
- Report faults in writing as soon as they appear and keep photos
- Keep paying rent during any dispute — arrears would hand the landlord an eviction ground
Escalate to the council if repairs stall
If your landlord will not act, contact the environmental health department at your local council. They must take action if they think the problems could harm you or cause a nuisance to others — council inspectors assess hazards in the home and can require the landlord to fix them.
- Give the council your written repair requests and the landlord's replies
- Council involvement creates an official record that strengthens any later claim
Use the Awaab's Law deadlines where they apply
Awaab's Law sets fixed repair deadlines and currently applies to most people living in social housing with a tenancy agreement: emergency repairs must be done within 24 hours, and significant damp and mould hazards must be investigated within 10 working days and made safe within 5 working days, with a written summary of findings within 3 working days after the investigation finishes. It currently covers emergencies and significant hazards linked to damp or mould.
- Social tenants: quote the deadlines in your complaint and keep dated photos of damp or mould
- Private tenants: these fixed deadlines do not yet apply to you — use the council environmental health route while further Renters' Rights reforms roll out from late 2026
Rely on the new eviction protections
Since 1 May 2026 you can no longer be evicted using the 'no fault' section 21 process — your landlord must give a reason, use the correct forms and give the correct notice, usually 4 months. They cannot evict you on the selling or moving-in grounds in the first 12 months of the tenancy, and where a deposit was paid a court will only order possession if the deposit was properly protected with the correct information given. Complaining about disrepair can no longer be answered with a no-reason eviction notice.
- Never leave on the strength of a notice alone — only a court can order possession
- Get advice quickly from Citizens Advice or Shelter if any notice arrives
Use your deposit rights
Your landlord must put your deposit in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days of getting it and return it within 10 days of you both agreeing how much you'll get back. If the deposit was not protected you can apply to the county court, which may order the landlord to pay you up to 3 times the deposit within 14 days of the order.
- Check your deposit is registered using the schemes' free online search tools
- Use the scheme's free dispute resolution service for deduction disputes — the decision is final
Act on harassment or illegal eviction
Harassment includes stopping services like electricity, withholding keys, refusing repairs, threats and physical violence, threatening to change the locks, opening or taking post and stopping access to temperature control. Illegal eviction — including being evicted without a court order or finding the locks changed — is a criminal offence. You may have the right to be let back into your home, claim compensation and apply for a rent repayment order.
- Contact the police if physical violence or threats are involved or if someone is trying to remove you
- Talk to your local council if you are being harassed or threatened with illegal eviction
Costs
Important Warnings
Keep paying the agreed rent even if repairs are needed or you are in dispute with your landlord — stopping creates arrears grounds for eviction.
The fixed Awaab's Law deadlines currently apply in social housing; private tenants should use the council environmental health route.
Only a court can order you out of your home — treat lock changes or forced removal as illegal eviction and involve the police and council.
Deadlines matter both ways: respond to any possession claim within the court's time limits.
Useful Links
Frequently asked questions
- What are my basic rights as a tenant?
- Gov.uk lists them: to live in a property that's safe and in a good state of repair; to have your deposit returned when the tenancy ends and protected during it; to challenge excessively high charges; to know who your landlord is; to live in the property undisturbed; to see an Energy Performance Certificate; and to be protected from unfair eviction and unfair rent.
- Can my landlord enter whenever they like?
- No — you have the right to live in the property undisturbed. For inspections or repairs the landlord should give at least 24 hours' notice, except in emergencies. Persistent unannounced entry can amount to harassment, which the council can act on.
- What can I do if my landlord will not fix damp, mould or heating?
- Report the problem in writing, then contact the environmental health department at your local council — they must take action if they think the problems could harm you or cause a nuisance to others. In social housing, Awaab's Law adds fixed deadlines: emergencies within 24 hours, significant damp and mould investigated within 10 working days and made safe within 5 working days of the investigation finishing.
- Can I be evicted for complaining about repairs?
- Since 1 May 2026 there is no no-fault eviction route: your landlord must give a legal reason, use the correct forms and give the correct notice — usually 4 months. A complaint about disrepair is not a ground for possession, and where a deposit was taken the court will only order possession if it was properly protected. Only a court can order you to leave.
- What happens if my deposit was not protected?
- Your landlord had 30 days to put it in a government-approved scheme. If they did not, you can apply to the county court, which may order them to pay you up to 3 times the deposit within 14 days of the order — and the failure also blocks them from getting a possession order until cured.
- What counts as harassment by a landlord?
- Examples on gov.uk include stopping services like electricity, withholding keys, refusing to carry out repairs that are the landlord's responsibility, threats and physical violence, threatening to change the locks, opening or taking post and stopping access to temperature control. Contact your council, and the police where threats or violence are involved. Illegal eviction is a criminal offence.