Send the council a short written follow-up today asking for the decision in writing and requesting the next step for enforcement or referral. If nothing is done, the disrepair usually continues and the tenant is left chasing updates while conditions worsen. Keep everything in one email thread, attach clear evidence, and set a reasonable deadline for a reply. If the council still refuses to act, use the council’s official complaints process and ask for a review by the service manager.
Most councils will not move on a phone call alone, so the next practical move is to create a paper trail that shows the hazard and the request for action. A calm, structured escalation often gets a different response than repeating the original report. Where there is an immediate risk, treat it as urgent and ask for the fastest inspection route.
What the problem is
This problem shows up when a tenant in a private rented home reports disrepair or hazards to the local council and is told the council cannot help because it is a private tenancy. It commonly affects renters dealing with damp and mould, broken heating or hot water, leaks, unsafe electrics, pest issues, or serious cold, especially during winter or after a landlord has ignored repair requests. It often appears after the tenant has already complained to the landlord or letting agent and received either a partial response, a promise with no follow-through, or silence.
In UK practice, the refusal is frequently delivered as a brief email or a call-back that frames the issue as “a civil matter” between tenant and landlord. Sometimes the council will say it can only advise, or that it will not inspect unless the tenant has exhausted all options with the landlord. The sticking point is usually reached after the tenant has supplied photos and dates but before any inspection is booked, or after an initial visit where no formal next step is explained.
Why this happens
One common cause is triage: councils receive high volumes of housing reports and may prioritise cases that look like immediate danger, repeat offending landlords, or situations where evidence is already organised. Another cause is misclassification, where a report is logged as a landlord–tenant dispute rather than a potential hazard that can be assessed. Some refusals happen because the council expects the tenant to pursue the landlord directly first, or because the report lacks key details such as the address history, access availability, and how long the issue has been present.
There is also an incentive problem: formal enforcement takes time, requires inspection notes that stand up to challenge, and can lead to follow-on work if the landlord disputes findings. Where resources are tight, the first response may be designed to reduce demand by pushing the tenant back to the landlord or agent. A typical organisational response pattern is that the first reply is generic, and only becomes specific after a written complaint asks for a named officer decision and a clear reason.
Your rights or position
In practical UK terms, a private tenancy does not remove the council’s ability to assess hazards in a home. The council’s leverage is strongest when the report is framed around health and safety conditions in the property, supported by dated evidence, and paired with a clear request for an inspection or a written decision explaining why an inspection will not happen. Councils tend to respond better when the tenant shows that the landlord has been notified, access can be arranged, and the issue is affecting day-to-day living (for example, heating failure, persistent damp, or unsafe wiring).
The most effective position is to ask for process, not debate: request the council’s housing standards or environmental health team to confirm whether an inspection will be arranged, and if not, to provide the refusal in writing with reasons and the route to challenge it. If the council has already inspected but will not act, ask what outcome was recorded and what threshold was applied. A clear paper trail also helps if the matter later needs to be reviewed through the council’s complaints stages.
Legal or official basis
The practical official route is the council’s Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) enforcement approach under the Housing Act 2004, which is the framework councils use to assess hazards and decide whether to take action. In day-to-day use, this means an officer can inspect, record hazards, and decide on the appropriate step, ranging from informal action to formal notices, depending on severity and evidence. The key point for tenants is that the council can assess the condition of a privately rented property and is not limited to social housing.
When asking the council to act, it helps to use the language of hazards and inspection rather than “repairs dispute”, and to ask for the decision route if the council declines. The official overview of how councils deal with housing standards and enforcement sits within GOV.UK guidance, which supports requests for inspection and written outcomes rather than informal phone advice.
What evidence matters
Councils act faster when evidence is easy to verify and shows a continuing problem rather than a one-off event. The most useful items are dated photos and videos, a simple timeline, copies of messages to the landlord or agent, and anything that shows impact such as room temperature readings, dehumidifier logs, or medical notes where relevant. If there has been a contractor visit, keep the report, even if it is brief, because it often confirms the issue is not caused by tenant behaviour.
What not to do is just as important. Avoid editing photos in a way that could be challenged, avoid exaggerating the risk, and avoid sending dozens of separate emails that bury the key facts. One thing not to do yet is to stop paying rent as a way to force action, because it can create a separate dispute that distracts from getting the hazard addressed.
Quick checklist
- Dated photos or video showing the problem and the wider room context
- A short timeline with first date noticed, reports made, and any visits
- Copies of landlord/agent repair requests and any replies
- Notes of access offered (days/times) and any refused appointments
Common mistakes
Three common mistakes are sending only close-up photos with no location context, relying on phone calls with no written follow-up, and mixing multiple unrelated complaints into one report so the main hazard is unclear.
What to do next
Send written follow-up
Email the council team that handled the report (housing standards, environmental health, or private sector housing) and ask for one of two things: an inspection date, or a written refusal with reasons and the route to challenge it. Keep it factual: address, tenancy type, what the hazard is, how long it has lasted, what the landlord has done, and when access can be provided. Attach a small set of the clearest evidence rather than everything at once.
Use official complaint
If there is no clear reply, use the council’s official complaints process rather than starting a new report. The complaints form is normally found on the council website under “Complaints” or “Feedback”, and it usually asks for the service area, what happened, and what outcome is wanted. Prepare the information before submitting so the complaint is complete and easy to route to a manager.
- The reference number from the original report (if available)
- The property address and best contact details for arranging access
- A short timeline and the dates of any council contact
- Key evidence attachments (a few files, clearly named)
The normal response timeframe for a first-stage council complaint is often around a couple of weeks, though it varies by council and urgency. If there is no response by the stated deadline, escalate by replying to the complaint acknowledgement (or resubmitting via the same portal) asking for the complaint to move to the next stage and for a service manager review. One sentence that reflects typical UK outcomes: the matter is usually resolved once a senior officer allocates an inspection slot and confirms the decision in writing.
Ask for inspection
If the council’s refusal is based on “private tenancy”, respond by asking them to confirm whether they are declining to inspect under housing standards powers, and to state what information would change that decision. Where the council says evidence is insufficient, offer specific access dates and provide a tighter evidence pack. If the council says it will inspect but has no date, ask what the current queue is and whether the case can be prioritised due to risk (for example, no heating, electrical danger, or severe damp affecting a child’s bedroom).
Change strategy
If the council’s position is that it will not act without stronger evidence, focus on making the next contact hard to dismiss: a single email with a timeline, clear photos, and a direct request for an inspection decision. If the council says it inspected and found no actionable hazard, ask for the inspection notes or summary and challenge specific points with evidence. Where the council rejects evidence or says it cannot rely on it, the decision point is to tighten the record and resubmit; the patterns and fixes in Evidence of disrepair rejected by council are relevant when the council is treating the report as unsupported.
FAQ
Private tenancy refusal
A council refuses to act due to private tenancy when the report is treated as a landlord–tenant dispute rather than a hazard assessment. Ask for the refusal in writing and request the inspection decision route.
Inspection timescales
Typical council inspection timescales for private rented hazards depend on urgency and local workload. Ask for the queue position and whether the case can be prioritised due to risk.
Landlord retaliation risk
Landlord retaliation after reporting disrepair is often raised when a tenant fears a notice or pressure to leave. Keep communication factual and keep copies of all messages and dates.
What to send
The best evidence to send for damp and mould complaints is dated photos, a short timeline, and copies of repair requests. Keep attachments limited and clearly labelled so the council can review quickly.
Before you move on
Write down the single outcome needed from the council (inspection date or written refusal) and send one tidy follow-up that includes access availability and the clearest evidence. Time pressure can show up as being pushed to accept a vague “we can’t help” response without a written decision.
Get help with the next step
Contact UKFixGuide — If the council has said “private tenancy” and closed the case, include the exact wording of the refusal and the date so the escalation route can be mapped.
