When can a landlord enter a let property, and when can't they?

A let property is the tenant's home, and the landlord's right of entry is narrow. There is a statutory right to view condition and state of repair on 24 hours' written notice, an implied term that the tenant must let the landlord in to carry out repairs the landlord is entitled to execute, and almost nothing else. Entering without consent for anything beyond those routes risks being treated as harassment or unlawful eviction.

The baseline — the tenant's home

Every tenancy carries an implied covenant for quiet enjoyment. In parallel, section 1 of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 makes it a criminal offence if a person "unlawfully deprives the residential occupier of any premises of his occupation of the premises or any part thereof, or attempts to do so," and a separate offence to do "acts likely to interfere with the peace or comfort of the residential occupier or members of his household" with intent to make the occupier give up occupation or stop pursuing a remedy.

Letting yourself in — or sending a contractor in — without consent and without a lawful basis is not a technicality. It can be trespass, a breach of quiet enjoyment, and, on the facts, a criminal matter.

The implied repair-access term

Section 16 of the Housing Act 1988 implies, into every assured tenancy, a term that the tenant shall "afford to the landlord access to the dwelling-house let on the tenancy and all reasonable facilities for executing therein any repairs which the landlord is entitled to execute."

Read it narrowly. It covers access for repairs the landlord has a right to carry out — the section 11 duty, express repair obligations, work ordered by the local authority. It is not a licence to inspect at large, and not a shortcut around arranging a time with the tenant.

The statutory right of entry to view condition

Section 11(6) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 implies that the landlord, or anyone authorised in writing, may "at reasonable times of the day and on giving 24 hours' notice in writing to the occupier, enter the premises comprised in the lease for the purpose of viewing their condition and state of repair."

Three parts, all doing work:

• Reasonable times of the day. Not evenings or weekends by default; check the tenant's working pattern.
• 24 hours' notice in writing. A floor, not a target; longer is usually sensible, and in writing means email or letter.
• For viewing condition and state of repair. The only purpose s11(6) authorises — not viewings, valuations or a general look round.

The statutory right is a right of access, not a self-help right of forced entry. If the tenant will not open the door at the arranged time, the landlord does not break in.

Gas safety — no self-help right of entry

Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 requires the landlord to carry out an annual safety check on gas appliances and flues. Regulation 39 gives the landlord a defence against prosecution for certain breaches where they can show they "took all reasonable steps to prevent that contravention."

That is the structure to internalise. The regulations impose a duty, and they give a defence when access is refused — they do not grant a right to enter without consent. HSE guidance to landlords is consistent: where a tenant refuses access, the landlord is expected to write, record attempts, offer alternative appointments, and keep the paperwork. Walking past a refusal and letting an engineer in regardless is not a reasonable step; it is a trespass.

No general right to inspect

There is no statutory right of inspection outside section 11(6). Quarterly or six-monthly inspections — standard practice in managed lets — are contractual: the tenant has agreed to co-operate with reasonable, properly noticed visits for stated purposes. The tenant still has to agree on the day. A clause in the agreement does not override the need to arrange, confirm and attend at a time that works.

Viewings during a notice period

There is no statutory right of access for viewings — not for a prospective buyer, not for a prospective tenant. Most agreements include a viewings clause for the final weeks subject to reasonable notice. Even then, co-operation is practically unavoidable: entry without the tenant's agreement is the same trespass risk as any other unannounced visit. Ask early, be flexible on times, accept a refusal rather than force it.

If the tenant refuses access for a necessary repair

Written notice first, with the statutory basis set out — the section 16 covenant where it applies, or the express term in the agreement. Offer at least two alternative times. If refusal continues:

• Keep a dated log of every attempt and reply.
• Write again, setting out the consequence of continued refusal — that the landlord may apply to the county court for an injunction compelling access.
• An application for an injunction is the usual route where repair access is being refused and the work is necessary.
• Where the agreement contains an access covenant and the breach is serious, Ground 12 of Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988 — "Any obligation of the tenancy (other than one related to the payment of rent) has been broken or not performed" — is a discretionary possession ground. The court weighs the breach and the circumstances; it is rarely a first move.

Fixing the lock, posting a notice through the letterbox and sending a contractor in anyway is none of these routes.

If the landlord enters without permission

The exposure stacks. It can be trespass, actionable by the tenant. It can be a breach of the covenant for quiet enjoyment, giving rise to damages. On the facts — repeated entries, entries aimed at pressuring the tenant to leave — it can be harassment or unlawful eviction under section 1 of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, with the local authority's tenancy relations officer or the police potentially involved.

Atlas practice

Every visit, without exception:

• 24 hours' written notice as the minimum, longer where the tenant has asked.
• A reason stated — repair, inspection under the agreement, gas safety check, viewing.
• A proposed time, reconfirmed by email the day before.
• A record of the notice, the reply and what happened on the day, kept on the tenancy file.

For related reading: landlord safety certificates in England, damp and mould duties, inventory, check-in and check-out and the antisocial behaviour guide. Our fees are published in full.

General information current at October 2026, not legal advice. Take advice before entering a let property without the tenant's consent.

If you would like us to manage access, notices and the paperwork around it, call 0161 710 4510 or write to 12–14 Midland Street, Manchester M12 6LB.