Report a landlord

Your landlord should provide you with a safe place to live.  No home can be completely hazard free, but you should not be expected to live in an environment that puts your health and safety at unnecessary risk.

We can help, but first you should contact your landlord to tell them what is wrong and give them a chance to fix it.  We strongly advise that you report any disrepair or safety issues to your landlord as soon as possible and put your complaint in writing.  If you do, and your landlord does not provide a reasonable response within 14 days, you may receive some protection from retaliatory eviction.

To make a complaint please email housing.conditions@thanet.gov.uk, or telephone 01843 577437, and ask for a Service Request form.  You will need to provide as much information as you can including;

• your name, address and phone number
• what type of tenancy do you have (eg 6-month shorthold)
• how much rent to you pay?
• do you receive Housing Benefit?
• how long have you lived there?
• landlords name, and contact details
• name and contact details of managing agent if you have one
• a description of the problems you have
• when did you tell your landlord/agent about the problem?
• What was their response?

When we have received your completed form, we will arrange an appointment to visit you and assess your complaint.

For legal reasons, we will need to inform your landlord of our intention to visit.  However, should we consider your complaint to be extremely urgent we will contact you directly.

Complaints about Neighbouring Properties

The condition of a neighbouring house may sometimes be cause for complaint to the Council. The Council have powers to deal with certain issues such as leaking gutters and damp penetration, by taking legal action against the owner of the house concerned.

To make a complaint regarding a neighbouring house, please email: housing.conditions@thanet.gov.uk or on 01843 577437

If your complaint concerns a house in multiple occupation, email: housing.conditions@thanet.gov.uk or on 01843 577435 or 577436

Please note:

• If your complaint concerns a dangerous structure, you should contact the Council’s Building Control Section email: building.control@thanet.gov.uk or on 01843 577502.
• If you are complaining about a pollution matter, for example rats or mice, dog faeces, decomposing food etc, in a neighbour’s property, you may contact the Council’s pollution officers email: environmental.health@thanet.gov.uk or on 01843 577435 or 577437.
• If your complaint is about housing that you rent from the Council please contact East Kent Housing on their freephone number 0800 0234 320 or email: thanet.repairs@mearsgroup.co.uk
• For advice on tenancy agreement or eviction matters you may wish to speak to the council’s Housing Options Team email: housing@thanet.gov.ukor telephone 01843 577277.
• You may also wish to consult a local solicitor or contact the Citizens Advice Thanet email: enquiries@thanetcitizensadvice.co.uk, view their website or telephone 01843 228643.
• If a landlord or their agent is violent, the matter should be reported to the Police.