Issues with your landlord
When it comes to repairs with private tenancies, it is the landlord or letting agent's responsibility to carry out the repairs both to the property, and any items they have provided.
Landlords and letting agents must meet two standards when letting out properties. These standards are:
- The Repairing Standard, and
- The Tolerable Standard
More information about these standards can be found at Repair rights and responsibilities if you rent from a private landlord or letting agent - Shelter Scotland.
If you believe your property isn’t meeting the Repairing Standard and Tolerable Standard, then you must make your landlord and letting agent aware as soon as possible. The process that you should follow as a tenant on how to contact your landlord or letting agent about repair issues or property standard can be found at Problems with repairs if you rent privately - Shelter Scotland.
If the repair is damaging your health
Fife Council Environmental Health Department can help when your landlord will not deal with repairs that are affecting your health. They can order your landlord to fix any repair problems.
Please contact privatehousing@fife.gov.uk to raise the issues with Environmental Health. Please include as much detail as possible and any evidence you may have that highlights the issue.
Landlord Registration
Private landlords must register with Fife Council before they can rent out a property. Fife Council can remove your landlord from the register if they do not behave properly.
Private tenants can check if their landlords are registered on the Landlord Registration website - Search the Scottish landlord register - Scottish Landlord Register
To search, enter your address and/or your Landlord’s Registration Number (This should be in your tenancy agreement).
If you rent from a letting agent, both your landlord and letting agent must be registered. If your landlord or letting agent is not registered then you must report this to Fife Council Landlord Registration Team. This way the team can investigate and contact your Landlord or Letting Agent to discuss getting them registered correctly.
Fife Council can also serve your Landlord or Letting Agent with a Rent Penalty Notice due to being unregistered, and that will remain in place until they become registered. Once a notice has been served, your Landlord or Letting Agent cannot charge rent until the notice has been revoked.
If Fife Council are serving a notice, you will be contacted with information regarding the notice and what this means.
Fife Council Landlord Registration Team can be contacted by emailing landlords.registration@fife.gov.uk or calling 01592 583 397
