Matters That The Council Can Advise On

Council advice includes such matters as: 

• fire safety 
• repairs 
• damp and mould 
• structural stability 
• ventilation 
• lighting 
• water supply 
• drainage
• and other hazards.

The Council acts on tenants' behalf to ensure that there are no serious health and safety hazards in rented properties. However, a tenant should first report any problems to their managing agent or landlord. Under Section 11 of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985, landlords have a legal duty to maintain rented properties in good condition.

In some cases we may provide a landlord with a grant towards repairs or improvements.

Complaints

The housing charity Shelter advise that you first put your complaint in writing to your landlord. In the related downloads section to the right of this page you will find further advice and a blank letter which you may wish to use. A second letter from the Shelter website is also available. If you still wish after that to make a complaint about a private property, please contact us using the details on the right.

If your landlord is a Registered Social Landlord or Housing Association, please contact them initially through your normal channels and if they do not respond satisfactorily to your request, please first use their own service complaint system to try to correct matters before further contacting the Council.

Tenancy Disputes

For advice on tenancy disputes involving tenancy agreements, terms or conditions, contact us using the details on the right. You may also seek advice from the Southend Citizens Advice Bureau: 08444 770808.

To view various leaflets and policies surrounding private accommodation disputes, such as how to protect your deposit, please go to the related downloads section on the right of this page.

Please also see our useful websites section for advice.