# Email to Your Landlord About Repairs, and How to Follow Up > Write a short, dated email to your landlord about repairs, follow up when nobody answers and keep a record, with tenant resources for the US and England. Source: https://hidengpt.com/write/email-to-landlord-about-repairs # My heating has been broken for weeks and my landlord isn't answering my emails. Bring the dates: when it broke, each email or call, and the day you need it fixed by. HidenGPT's Email format, set to Follow-up, turns them into a short email with a clear subject line and one ask, without lines like “I hope this email finds you well”. It isn't legal advice; tenant rights depend on where you live. Updated October 6, 2026 · by the HidenGPT team Try it with your own details Enter to send · Shift+Enter for a new line ## How to do it in HidenGPT - 01 Write the timeline down first: when the heating stopped, every email and call with its date, and anything your landlord said back. - 02 Pick Email under “Use it for”, set Email type to Follow-up (Business email if it's your first message), and fill in To and Your ask, such as “a confirmed repair date by Friday, October 9”. - 03 Paste the timeline into the main box, keep Length on Short and Tone on Professional or Formal, and add your name under Signature in More details. - 04 Check that every date, the photo and the deadline made it into the draft, and add back anything it dropped, such as a phone call. - 05 Send it from your own email with the photo attached and keep a copy with everything else about the repair. [Email / Newsletter](https://hidengpt.com/tools/email): Subject lines that get opened, emails and newsletters that get replies. ## What to put in a repair email Open with the problem, not small talk. “I hope this email finds you well” and “It is important to note that” add nothing; “The heating in apartment 4B has been out since September 15” says it in one line. Then say what's broken, where, since when and how it affects you, and ask for one thing: a date. Shelter, a housing charity in England, publishes a template in the same order: the subject “Request for repairs”, your address, the problems that need fixing, how they could affect your health and a request to arrange a time. It also says to always put in writing what the problem is, when you reported it and what your landlord said they would do. In the subject line, name the apartment, the problem and the date it started, so the email is easy to find later. ## When your landlord doesn't answer Write again, and keep it short. Shelter suggests reminding the landlord of their responsibility to do repairs, suggesting dates and times for the work and giving a set time to respond. If you called, put the call in writing too: Shelter's advice is to keep copies of every letter and email, the dates the landlord came by, the dates and times of phone calls and what was said, and photos of the problem. If writing doesn't work, the next step is local. New York City's housing agency, HPD, tells tenants without heat or hot water to contact the landlord first and then file a complaint through 311. In England, GOV.UK points tenants to the environmental health department at their local council. Elsewhere in the US, USA.gov points you to your state's agency for tenant rights and to legal aid. ## Your rights depend on where you live This page isn't legal advice, and the rules change from one city or country to the next. Three examples from official sources show how much. In New York City, HPD's heat season runs from October 1 to May 31, with at least 68°F inside from 6am to 10pm when it's below 55°F outside, and at least 62°F overnight. In England, GOV.UK says the landlord is always responsible for repairs to heating and hot water and should tell you when to expect them, and that you should carry on paying rent while you wait. New York State's Attorney General says repairs must be made within a reasonable time that depends on how serious they are, and that when a home isn't kept livable, a tenant may withhold rent but the landlord may then sue for nonpayment. So keep threats and legal claims out of the email unless you've checked them for your own city or state. State the facts, ask for a date and keep the record; a local tenant organization or legal aid can tell you what comes next. ## What the Email format does Pick Email and set Email type to Follow-up when you've already written, or Business email for a first request. Follow-up refers to your earlier messages in one sentence, adds something new, like the photo or a deadline, and leaves out guilt trips like “you haven't replied”. Business email states the purpose in the first paragraph and ends with a clear next step and a date. Short keeps it to 50-120 words. The draft starts with a subject line aimed at under 50 characters, with a warning above 60, and Subject line ideas adds three alternatives. Without a signature it ends with a [Your name] placeholder. It's told not to invent dates, names or details, so it works only from what you give it; check that nothing you gave was dropped. The red pen runs a light pass for stock lines like “I hope this email finds you well”, and the spam check flags words such as “urgent”, so say what makes it urgent instead: no heat, and 58°F at night. ## Not the right tool if - Legal disputes, eviction or anything you'll file with a court or a housing agency. Talk to legal aid or a local tenant organization. - Deciding whether to withhold rent or pay for the repair yourself. That depends on where you live; check your state's or council's official guidance first. - Making the case stronger than it is. The email uses only the dates and facts you give, and a detail you can't back up weakens your record. ## Other ways to do it Shelter's free repair letter templates Written for private tenants in England, including a request for repairs and a reminder about urgent repairs. You fill in the blanks. Your landlord's repair portal or the method in your lease Often the quickest way to get a work order. Save a copy or a screenshot of what you sent. Your city's or council's housing service For when writing hasn't worked: 311 in New York City, the council's environmental health department in England. Legal aid or a tenant union People who know the rules where you live, often free if you qualify. Talk to them before you withhold rent or go to court. ## Questions ### How do I write an email to my landlord about repairs? Say what's broken, where and since when, list when you've already reported it, and ask for one thing: a repair date. Shelter's template for tenants in England follows that order and adds how the problem could affect your health. ### How do I start an email to my landlord? With the problem itself: “The heating in apartment 4B has been out since September 15.” Skip openers like “I hope this email finds you well”; HidenGPT's red pen cuts that one. ### Should I text or email my landlord? Use the way your lease or landlord asks for, then make sure there's a written record. Shelter, for tenants in England, says you can report repairs in person, by phone, message, email or letter, and to send an email or letter so you have a record. ### What do I do if my landlord isn't responding to repair requests? Write again with a deadline, then go to your local housing service. Shelter suggests giving the landlord a set time to respond; in New York City, HPD says to file a heat complaint through 311 if the landlord doesn't respond, and in England, GOV.UK points to the council's environmental health department. ### How long does a landlord have to fix the heat? It depends on where you live. New York State's Attorney General says repairs must be made within a reasonable time that depends on how serious they are; Shelter says that in England, 24 hours could be reasonable for a broken boiler in winter. Check your own state's or council's guidance. ### Can I withhold rent if my landlord won't do repairs? Don't decide that from a template, because the answer changes by place. GOV.UK says tenants in England should carry on paying rent while they wait for repairs; New York State's Attorney General says a tenant may withhold rent, but the landlord may then sue for nonpayment. Ask legal aid or a tenant organization first. ### Can I send it as a letter instead of an email? Yes. Drop the subject line, add the date and your address at the top, and keep a copy. Shelter's repair templates for tenants in England are meant to go by email or by post. ### Can I try it for free? Yes. You can try 2 drafts a day on the homepage without an account; a plan adds saved history and your own voices. ## Related - [I need to ask my professor for a recommendation letter by email.](https://hidengpt.com/write/email-professor-for-recommendation-letter) - [I need a thank-you email after my interview that doesn't sound copied.](https://hidengpt.com/write/thank-you-email-after-interview) - [I'm the best man at my brother's wedding, and I have three minutes.](https://hidengpt.com/write/best-man-speech-for-brother) - [My draft reads like ChatGPT wrote it. How do I make it sound like a person?](https://hidengpt.com/write/make-ai-writing-sound-human) - [Does my writing sound like AI?](https://hidengpt.com/tools/ai-cliche-checker) - [Essays, homework and everyday writing that sounds like you](https://hidengpt.com/write) [Prefer HidenGPT on Google](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=hidengpt.com)