The landlord will not fix it: what tenants can actually do

A landlord is generally responsible for defects that stop an apartment being fit to live in, and a tenancy agreement cannot simply move all of that onto the tenant. The practical problem is almost never the law. It is that every request was made by phone and none of it can be proved.

Whose responsibility is it

Structural problems and failures of central systems, such as plumbing, the boiler or serious damp, usually sit with the landlord. Minor wear from everyday use tends to sit with the tenant. Your contract may allocate specific items, so read it alongside the general rule rather than instead of it. What matters most is whether the defect makes the apartment unfit for its purpose.

Create the paper trail first

Put the request in writing with photographs, dates and a reasonable deadline for repair, and send it through a channel that records delivery. If the landlord responds by phone, follow the call with a short written summary of what was agreed and by when. That habit costs nothing and converts a promise you cannot prove into a record you can.

Escalate in order

Once a written request has gone unanswered past its deadline, a formal notice setting out the consequences is the next step. Do not stop paying rent as an opening move, and do not commission major repairs and deduct the cost without establishing your position first, because both convert a repair dispute into a payment dispute you did not want.

FAQ

Can I withhold rent until it is fixed?
Treat this as a last resort, not an opening move. There are situations where a reduction is justified, but doing it unilaterally and without documentation frequently turns a repair dispute into an eviction dispute.
The landlord keeps promising by phone.
Follow every call with a short written summary of what was agreed and by when. It is polite, it is normal, and it creates the record you will need if nothing happens.
Can I fix it myself and deduct the cost?
Sometimes, but not as a first step and rarely for a large sum. Give a written deadline first, keep the quotes and receipts, and get an independent view before spending anything significant.
The contract says repairs are my responsibility.
A clause does not necessarily override the general obligation to keep the apartment fit to live in. Read the clause against the defect, because the two are often not talking about the same thing.