Landlord access for repairs, when can they come in and when can they not?

Direct answer

Your home is your home, even when it is rented. Your landlord has a statutory right to inspect and carry out repairs under Section 11(6) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, but they must give you 24 hours' written notice and visit at a reasonable time of day. They cannot let themselves in without notice except in a genuine emergency. Call us free on 0800 030 4669 if your landlord is misusing access.

The 24-hour rule

For an inspection or routine repair, the landlord (or their contractor) must:

1. Give 24 hours' written notice. Text, email, letter, or a note through the door all count.
2. State a reasonable time of day (broadly, working hours).
3. Have a reasonable purpose (inspection, repairs, gas safety check, EICR).
4. Get your agreement to the date and time where possible.

Notice is for your benefit, not the landlord's. You can agree to shorter notice if you want, but you do not have to.

What counts as an emergency

In a genuine emergency, the landlord can enter without 24 hours' notice. The threshold is high. Genuine examples:

• Smell of gas, suspected leak.
• Burst pipe or active flood.
• Smoke or fire.
• A vulnerable adult inside who has not responded for a long time.
• Police request for entry under their own powers.

"I want to check the place" is not an emergency. "I'm in the area" is not an emergency. Anger at a complaint is not an emergency.

When access can be refused

Your refusal must be reasonable. You can usually refuse:

• Without 24 hours' notice (unless emergency).
• At unreasonable hours (very early, very late, middle of the night).
• Without a clear purpose (vague "checking up").
• If the visit clashes with serious illness, a baby's nap, or a known commitment that you cannot move.

You cannot refuse forever. Repeated unreasonable refusals can lead to the landlord getting a court injunction forcing access, and in some cases to eviction proceedings on the basis that you breached the tenancy.

What the landlord cannot do

• Let themselves in while you are out, without notice.
• Tell you to leave the home while a repair is done unless you have agreed (and they should usually offer alternative accommodation if needed).
• Move or remove your belongings without permission.
• Use a contractor's visit as cover to look in cupboards or check on you.
• Bring people with them who have no role in the repair.
• Take photographs of you, your belongings, or rooms outside the repair area.

If the landlord regularly enters without notice, that may be harassment under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. See landlord harassment and illegal eviction.

What to do when access is being misused

1. Write to the landlord saying: "I expect 24 hours' written notice in line with Section 11(6) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and a reasonable purpose."
2. Note every incident: date, time, who, what they said, what they did.
3. Change the locks only with permission in writing from the landlord. Changing them without permission can be a breach of tenancy.
4. Contact your council's housing standards team if it is harassment.
5. For focused legal help, Shelter 0808 800 4444 or a Law Centre.

What if I do not let the contractor in for a real repair

If you refuse access for an actual repair the landlord owes you, your right to claim disrepair for ongoing damage may be reduced from that point. The landlord can argue you stopped them fixing it. So unreasonable refusals can hurt your case.

If the time offered does not work, propose a different time the same week. That is not refusal.

How we can help

If a landlord has used "access" as a cover for harassment, or has refused to access the property to do repairs you have asked for, the disrepair claim sits on top of the access issue. Call us free on 0800 030 4669.

Free call: 0800 030 4669 | Start your claim

Sources

• Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Section 11 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)