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For tenants

Report a repair to your landlord

Choose what broke, since when and how urgent it is: you get a short, dated message to send from your own app. We store nothing.

What broke?
Since when?
How urgent is it?
When are you home?

Message

A dripping pipe above a bucket beside a wrench.A dripping pipe above a bucket beside a wrench.

The message builds as you choose.

Who pays for the repair?

It depends on the cause and the lease. The landlord bears necessary repairs (Housing Lease Act, Art. 14(3); Obligations Act, Art. 554(1)); you bear small repairs, the costs of ordinary use and damage you cause yourself (Obligations Act, Art. 554(3); Housing Lease Act, Art. 15(1)). You're not liable for wear from ordinary use or ageing (Obligations Act, Art. 566(2)).

Tell your landlord without delay, or you can be liable for damage the delay causes (Obligations Act, Arts. 554(4) and 557(4)).

No law expressly lets you hold back rent or deduct the repair cost on your own, and for unpaid rent the landlord can give notice after a written warning giving you 30 days (Housing Lease Act, Art. 19). So don't hold back rent on your own (our advice). If you paid for a necessary repair yourself because it couldn't wait, or the landlord didn't do it in reasonable time after being told, you can claim the cost back (Obligations Act, Art. 554(2)).

More in the guide to who pays the reserve, the communal fee and repairs

Are you the landlord? A quick reply

A short reply so the tenant knows you got the message.

  • Thanks for letting me know. I'll get back to you today with a time for the repair.

  • Thanks for letting me know. Could you send me a photo of the problem?

  • Thanks for letting me know. It's a fault of the building, so I'll contact the building manager and let you know.

Common questions

Who pays for repairs in a rented flat?
It depends on the cause and the lease. The landlord bears necessary repairs; the tenant bears small repairs, the costs of ordinary use and damage they cause (Housing Lease Act, Arts. 14(3) and 15(1); Obligations Act, Art. 554). The tenant isn't liable for wear from ordinary use or ageing (Obligations Act, Art. 566(2)).
Can I hold back rent until the repair is done?
No law expressly allows it, and for unpaid rent the landlord can give notice after a written warning giving you 30 days (Housing Lease Act, Art. 19). So don't hold back rent on your own (our advice). If you paid for a necessary repair yourself because it couldn't wait, or the landlord didn't do it in reasonable time after being told, you can claim the cost back (Obligations Act, Art. 554(2)).
How long does the landlord have to make a repair?
The law sets no number of days: the landlord must make repairs in good time, within a reasonable period. If the landlord doesn't fix it within a reasonable deadline you set, you can end the lease or ask for a lower rent (Obligations Act, Arts. 554 and 559).