Floorboards loose, rotten, springy, or broken are more than a nuisance. They are a structural defect and a trip hazard. In most cases the landlord must
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Floorboards loose, rotten, springy, or broken are more than a nuisance. They are a structural defect and a trip hazard. In most cases the landlord must repair them. Here is when the duty applies, and what to do when they will not act.
Is the landlord responsible for floorboards?
Yes, in most cases. Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 makes the landlord keep the structure in repair. Floorboards belong to the structure. They sit on the floor joists holding the building up, and keeping them sound falls to the landlord.
Your landlord must repair floorboards that are:
- Loose and moving underfoot, a trip or fall risk
- Rotten from damp, water getting in, or a burst pipe
- Broken, cracked, or holed
- Springy or bouncy, which points to joist damage underneath
All of these are structural defects.
What if the floorboard problem was caused by damp?
Rotten boards often trace to damp under the floor: a leaking pipe, poor drainage, rising damp at ground level. Both the damp and the boards then sit with the landlord.
Boards swapped without the damp fixed just rot again. The repair must reach the root cause as well as the damage.
What if it was caused by a leak?
A burst pipe or plumbing leak that rotted the boards means the landlord fixes the plumbing and the floor. Living with damaged flooring through strung-out partial fixes is not expected of you.
What about carpet?
The landlord answers for the floorboards, the structural floor. Coverings, carpet, laminate, vinyl, generally sit outside Section 11. The exceptions: a tenancy agreement saying otherwise, or a covering ruined by the landlord's failure to repair. Think a leak that wrecked the carpet, or a failed subfloor that buckled the laminate.
In those cases the covering's damage may join a claim.
Trip hazard and health and safety
Loose or broken boards run dangerous, above all for:
- Children, who trip more easily
- Older tenants and people with mobility problems
- Anyone carrying things where a loose board could bring a fall
A trip hazard can also bring in the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, which requires a home safe as well as sound.
The council's housing team can inspect under the HHSRS rating system. Loose or rotten boards creating a trip hazard count as Category 2, or possibly Category 1.
How to report the problem
Write to the landlord or letting agent. Say clearly:
- Where the problem sits: which room, which part of the floor
- What is wrong: loose, rotten, broken, springy
- When you first noticed it
- Any safety worry, above all with children, older people, or anyone with a disability in the home
Keep a copy of everything sent. Photograph the area, with your foot next to the loose board for scale where you can.
What if my landlord ignores me?
No reply, or a refusal?
- Send a formal follow-up with a fair deadline. Two to four weeks fits a non-emergency structural defect.
- Report a safety hazard to the council's housing enforcement team
- Weigh a disrepair claim through the county court
A claim can seek compensation for the time lived with the defect, plus an order forcing the repair.
When should I contact Support for Tenants?
Loose, rotten, or broken boards the landlord will not fix? Call us on 0800 030 4669.
No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.
Sources
- Section 11, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) guidance (GOV.UK)
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We review every guide at least twice a year and update it when the law changes. If you spot something out of date or wrong, email help@supportfortenants.co.uk.
Reviewed against current housing law for England and Wales as at 15 June 2026. Checked by our SRA-regulated panel solicitors. This is general information, not legal advice for your specific case. Any compensation figures or ranges shown are illustrative only, not a promise; every case is different.
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