Glasgow University Students Representative Council

Your landlord has a legal responsibility to undertake repairs and make sure that the flat meets the “Repairing Standard” at all times during your tenancy. This includes ensuring that the flat is wind and watertight, that the heating and hot water are working and that any appliances supplied as part of the tenancy agreement are in working order. 

You should contact your landlord or his/her agent in the first instance to get repairs done. Keep a note of when you contacted them, and if possible/practical make this contact by writing or email, in case you need to chase it up. A reasonable length of time to carry out a repair depends on the nature of the problem – serious risks to your health and safety should be dealt with urgently, whereas more minor repairs might take a little bit longer.

All private rented sector tenants have the right to ask the Private Rented Housing Panel to force their landlord to carry out repairs which are related to the Repairing Standard.

Before the PRHP will consider your case, you have to be able to demonstrate that you have reported the problem to your landlord and given him/her a reasonable chance to respond. So it’s a good idea to keep copies of any letters or emails you send your landlord about the repairs.

You can download an application form, together with details of the Repairing Standard, from the PRHP website.

For problems relating to insect/bug/rat infestations you should contact your landlord or the council’s environmental health officer (EHO), in the first instance. For Environmental Health contact details and more information about pest control, check out Glasgow City Council’s website.

You can also call into the SRC Advice Centre in the John McIntyre Building for advice or contact them on T: 0141 330 5360 or e: advice@src.gla.ac.uk