Help for private tenants in Brent

If you rent your home from a private landlord and something is wrong, we may be able to help. We can support you with problems such as poor conditions, repairs, rent worries, or problems with your landlord.

You should contact your landlord or managing agent first. If you have already done this and the problem has not been sorted out, or the repair has not been done properly, contact us as soon as you can.

Getting help early can stop things from getting worse and can help you stay in your home.

Problems with your landlord

• Poor communication
• Arguments or disputes
• Not understanding your rights
• Harassment or discrimination

Repairs or poor conditions

• Damp, mould or disrepair
• Delays in repairs
• Concerns about safety

Things that may put your tenancy at risk

• Rent worries at an early stage
• Changes in your circumstances
• Worries about being able to stay in your home

If your home is unsafe or in poor condition, you can tell us by using our online disrepair form.

What happens next

After you report the problem, our housing team will review the details. We may check your home using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, which is a way of looking at risks to health and safety in and around the property, including gardens and paths.

If needed, an officer may visit your home to look at any hazards that could cause harm.

If we find serious health or safety hazards, we will decide what action to take. We do not inspect every property, but we will inspect when we believe there is a good reason to do so.

Our Private Rented Sector Sustainment and Compliance Team works with tenants and landlords to sort out problems early.

We can help with rent worries, poor conditions, repairs, problems with communication, and other issues that may affect your tenancy. We can explain rights and responsibilities and help both sides find practical solutions.

Our aim is to help you stay in your home where possible. If a problem cannot be sorted out, we will explain your options and what you can do next.

When needed, we can also work with other services, including enforcement teams.

To contact the team, please email: prssustainmentandcompliance@brent.gov.uk

Please contact us early so we can support you before the problem gets worse.

Hotels, hostels and other temporary accommodation

We also check hotels, hostels and other temporary accommodation used to house people on our housing waiting list, to make sure it meets the right standards. This work is part of the Setting the Standards scheme, where information is shared with other London councils.

We will usually try to work with your landlord first to get the property made safe.

If your landlord does not work with us, we may need to take formal action. This can include:

• serving an improvement notice to tell the landlord what work must be done
• making a prohibition order to close all or part of a home, or limit how many people can live there
• serving a hazard awareness notice
• taking emergency action to deal with serious risks
• making an emergency prohibition order or demolition order
• including the property in a clearance area

Any legal notice will explain what work must be done and how long the landlord has to do it.

If a landlord does not do work that the law requires, we may take legal action through the magistrates' court.