The bedroom window has not shut properly since winter, the frame is soft and flaking, and now the lock on the back door has stopped catching. You do not feel safe leaving the flat, and you are sleeping badly. Your landlord says windows and doors are wear and tear and not their problem.
Some of that is wrong. Windows and external doors are part of the structure of your home, so keeping them in repair is your landlord's job. This guide covers what they must fix, why a draughty old window is treated differently from a broken one, and who is responsible when a faulty lock leads to a break-in.
Are broken windows, doors and locks the landlord's responsibility?
Yes, when they are broken. Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, your landlord must keep the structure and exterior of the home in repair, and windows and external doors are part of the exterior. That covers the glass, the frames, the sashes and the hinges. A cracked pane, a rotten frame, a window that will not open or close because it is damaged, or a warped door are all your landlord's to repair. Broken locks and catches are their job too, for the reasons we come to below. In Wales the same repairing duty applies to occupation contracts under section 92 of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, with a fitness duty in section 91.
The exception is damage you caused yourself.
Your landlord must fix
- Rotten or broken window frames, and glass broken by the building failing
- External doors that have warped, rotted or no longer close properly
- Broken locks, catches and handles on windows and external doors
- Securing the home after a break-in or storm damage
Usually down to you
- A window or door you or your visitors broke
- Getting locked out, or replacing a key you lost
- A lock you damaged by forcing it
- Reporting a fault promptly so it can be repaired
Does my landlord have to replace draughty single glazing?
This is the most common misunderstanding. There is a difference between a window that is broken and one that is simply old.
A broken or rotten window is disrepair, and your landlord must fix it. A sound single-glazed window that is only draughty, cold or prone to condensation is not disrepair, even if you would prefer double glazing. The courts have held that your landlord does not have to upgrade a working window because it is dated. The same goes for a door that fits poorly but is not damaged.
If your real problem is a home you cannot keep warm, that is a different question, and there is a route for it through the fitness and hazard rules rather than the repair duty. Severe cold can be a serious hazard your council can act on. See the Fitness for Human Habitation Act and tenant claims.
Who is responsible for a broken lock or a door that won't lock?
A broken lock or catch on an external door or window is usually your landlord's to repair. Where the door or window itself is damaged, that is clearly part of the structure they must keep in repair under Section 11. Even where only the lock has failed, a home that cannot be secured against intruders is a recognised hazard under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, and a serious case can make the home unfit to live in, so the duty to put it right holds either way. Both give you a route to push if your landlord drags their feet.
The exceptions are the everyday ones. If you lose your keys, get locked out, or snap your own key in the lock, that is your cost to sort out, not a repair the landlord owes you.
Who pays after a break-in?
Two questions get tangled here, so take them separately.
The repair is your landlord's. A door forced by a burglar or a smashed window is damage caused by someone else, not by you, so putting it right is part of keeping the structure in repair. Many landlords will ask for a crime reference number first, so report the break-in to the police and get one.
Compensation for what you lost is harder, and it turns on fault. At most, your landlord is on the hook for stolen or damaged property where the break-in was made possible by a defect they knew about and failed to repair in a reasonable time, such as a broken lock you had already reported. Even then it is not guaranteed, because the burglary is a third party's crime and courts are cautious about making a landlord pay for that. The age of a lock on its own is not enough, and you would need to show you acted reasonably, by reporting the fault and not leaving the home open.
When is an insecure home an emergency?
A front or back door that will not lock, or a smashed window that cannot be closed, is an emergency, especially after dark. The reasonable time to deal with it is hours, not weeks.
If your landlord will not secure the home, your council can step in and do it where there is an imminent risk, then bill your landlord. In the meantime, once you have reported the problem and given your landlord a chance to act, a reasonable temporary fix like boarding a window can be claimed back as a cost. Do not permanently change the locks without telling your landlord, as they need access too.
Report the problem in writing and keep a copy, since the repair clock starts when your landlord knows. Take dated photos of the broken frame, glass or lock, keep your messages, and note when you first reported it. If nothing happens, your council's environmental health team can inspect for free, and the wider process is in how to handle a disrepair case and how to report a landlord to the council. Where your landlord left genuine disrepair, you can claim compensation, usually a share of your rent for the period, set out in how much you can claim for disrepair.
Worried that asking will cause trouble? In England, no-fault eviction ended on 1 May 2026, so reporting a broken window or a faulty lock cannot get you a Section 21 notice. In Wales a landlord can still use a no-fault notice under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, but must give at least 6 months, and a court can refuse possession where the landlord is retaliating against a repair complaint.
If your landlord is leaving you with broken windows, doors or locks, Remedy can tell you what they must fix, what you may be owed, and draft the letter that gets it done. Start a free assessment at remedylegal.ai.
