Your landlord owes you certain duties of care that are set out in this Act. They include a duty to prevent personal injury or damage to property caused by defects in your home. The duty is owed if the landlord knows or ought to have known about the repair, even if you haven’t told your landlord.

Uninhabitable conditions can include dangerous ones, such as holes in the floor, unsafe or exposed wiring, or non-working air conditioning in dangerously hot summer months. Gross infestations of roaches, fleas or other pests are also uninhabitable conditions.

If the noisy neighbour is a tenant, you can make a complaint to the landlord. Most tenancy agreements require tenants not to do anything that would constitute a nuisance to neighbours. The landlord can use the tenancy agreement to deal with the problem if it persists, with eviction as the last resort.

As a landlord you must: keep your rented properties safe and free from health hazards. make sure all gas and electrical equipment is safely installed and maintained. provide an Energy Performance Certificate for the property.

Contrary to common belief, tenants do not have the legal right to withhold rent because their landlord has failed to carry out repairs. Tenants who do not pay rent run the risk that their landlord will issue possession proceedings to try and evict them.

What to do guide if your landlord refuses to do repairs

1. Put it in writing.
2. Write to your landlord again.
3. Gather evidence about the repairs needed.
4. Inform your landlord you are contacting the council.
5. Request help from the council to do the repairs.
6. Take legal action.

The court can also award compensation called damages. Damages put you back in the financial position you would have been in had your landlord made the repairs when they should have done. You can get damages if: you’ve been injured or made ill.

Your landlord can’t increase your rent during your fixed term unless you agree or your agreement allows it. If your agreement says your rent can be increased it has to say when and how it will be done. This is known as having a ‘rent review clause’.

Here’s what to know if you are negotiating your lease renewal.

1. Understand how market-rate units work.
2. Your track record matters.
3. Stay calm, and ask politely.
4. Do your research.
5. Get intel from your neighbors.
6. Small landlords more willing to negotiate.
7. Consider asking for an upgrade.

You should try to speak to your landlord if you don’t agree with your rent increase. You might be able to come to an agreement – find out more in dealing with a rent increase. Your landlord has to give you a section 13 notice if they want to increase your rent.

How to Convince Your Landlord to Lower Your Rent

1. Prove You Deserve to Pay Less. Having a good reputation can come in handy when you’re trying to reduce the price of your rent.
2. Show You’ve Done Your Homework.
3. Bring Something to the Table.
4. Agree to Stay Put for Over a Year.
5. Agree to Pay Before the First of the Month.

The average rent increase per year is, give or take, somewhere between 3% and 5%. For a monthly rent payment of $1,500, for example, we’re talking between $45 and $75 more per month.

The fact that there’s a standard rent increase means it’s pretty common for rent to go up each year. Often rents increase because other costs of maintaining the property go up. Charging more for rent is part of a ripple effect in the need to cover higher expenses.