Maintenance

Defects unfixed? Then the rent can go down.

Mould, leaks, broken heating, draughty windows: your landlord has a legal duty to fix defects. If he does not, the Rent Tribunal can temporarily cut your rent, sometimes steeply, until the repairs are actually done. Tenants win about two out of three of these cases.

How the route works

Step one is always a written defect report to your landlord: that letter starts the legal repair clock of six weeks. Does nothing happen? Then you can ask the Rent Tribunal to reduce the rent because of the defect. The reduction runs from the moment you reported it and lasts until the repair is done, so the landlord pays for every month of delay.

What counts as a defect

The Tribunal works with defect categories, from serious issues that make living genuinely difficult, such as no heating or severe damp, to significant flaws in essential parts of the home. Cosmetic annoyances do not qualify, structural neglect does. Taking photos and keeping your correspondence makes the case, and the procedure costs 25 euros, refunded if you win.