Letting agents
Repairs under the Letting Agent Code of Practice: paras 85–94 as a workflow
General information, not legal advice. Last checked 30 Oct 2026. Sources are linked under each section.
The Code's repairs section sets ten duties, from written procedures to chasing poor work. Below, each paragraph is quoted in full and paired with what your team does and what it records. Run it this way and repairs get answered, tenants hear what's happening, and you have the records to show it.
The ten paragraphs at a glance
| Para | What the Code says (verbatim) | What your team does | What to record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | "If you are responsible for pre-tenancy checks, managing statutory repairs, maintenance obligations or safety regulations (e.g. electrical safety testing; annual gas safety inspections; Legionella risk assessments) on a landlord's behalf, you must have appropriate systems and controls in place to ensure these are done to an appropriate standard within relevant timescales. You must maintain relevant records of the work." | Keep a compliance calendar for each property | Certificates, dates, work records |
| 86 | "You must put in place appropriate written procedures and processes for tenants and landlords to notify you of any repairs and maintenance (including common repairs and maintenance) required, if you provide this service directly on the landlord's behalf. Your procedure should include target timescales for carrying out routine and emergency repairs." | Write the repairs procedure, with your own target times | The procedure and its version date |
| 87 | "If emergency arrangements are part of your service, you must have in place procedures for dealing with emergencies (including dealing with out-of-hours incidents, if that is part of the service) and for giving contractors access to properties for emergency repairs." | Keep an emergency and out-of-hours list | Emergency contacts, access log |
| 88 | "You must give the tenant clear information about who will manage any repairs or maintenance, as agreed with the landlord and set out in the tenancy agreement. This includes giving them relevant contact details (e.g. you, the landlord or any third party) and informing them of any specific arrangements for dealing with out-of-hours emergencies." | Put repair contacts in the welcome pack | Date the information was sent |
| 89 | "When notified by a tenant of any repairs needing attention, you must manage the repair in line with your agreement with the landlord. Where the work required is not covered by your agreement you should inform the landlord in writing of the work required and seek their instructions on how to proceed." | Check your authority limit; ask the landlord in writing | The landlord's instruction |
| 90 | "Repairs must be dealt with promptly and appropriately having regard to their nature and urgency and in line with your written procedures." | Triage urgency against your para 86 targets | Urgency and target date |
| 91 | "You must inform the tenant of the action you intend to take on the repair and its likely timescale." | Send an action-and-timescale message | A copy of the message |
| 92 | "Where access is needed for repairs you must give the tenant reasonable notice of when access is required unless other arrangements have been agreed. Section 184 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 is also relevant here and paragraph 6 of the schedule of the Private Residential Tenancies (Statutory Terms) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 is relevant in respect of a private residential tenancy." | Send an access notice | The notice and the date sent |
| 93 | "If there is any delay in carrying out the repair and maintenance work, you must inform the landlords, tenants or both as appropriate about this along with the reason for it as soon as possible." | Send a delay notice with the reason | The notice and the reason |
| 94 | "You must pursue the contractor or supplier to remedy the defects in any inadequate work or service provided." | Check after the job; recall the contractor if needed | Tenant confirmation, recall record |
Source: Letting Agent Code of Practice, Management and maintenance.
The workflow, step by step
- Receive. Log every repair report the day it arrives, from any channel, with the date, the property, the tenant's contact details and any photos.
- Triage (para 90). Judge the urgency and set the target date from your written procedure.
- Check authority (para 89). If the work is outside your agreement with the landlord, write to the landlord and ask for instructions.
- Tell the tenant (para 91). Say what you will do and the likely timescale.
- Book and give access notice (para 92). Confirm the contractor and give reasonable notice of access.
- Report delays (para 93). If anything slips, tell the tenant, the landlord or both, with the reason, as soon as possible.
- Check completion (para 94). Ask the tenant whether it is fixed, and send the contractor back if the work isn't right.
- Close and file (para 85). Keep the records of the work.
Damp or mould? Damp and mould reports also start the Awaab's Law clock: investigation within 10 working days, a written summary within 3 working days, and repairs started within 5 working days where substantial damp or mould is found (gov.scot guidance 2.5). See the Awaab's Law workflow.
A one-page repairs procedure (para 86)
Use these headings. Fill in your own target times; the Code asks for targets but does not set them.
- How tenants and landlords report a repair (and common repairs)
- Target times: emergency / urgent / routine (your agency sets these)
- Emergency and out-of-hours arrangements, and contractor access
- Landlord authority limit, and how to get instructions in writing
- How and when tenants and landlords are updated, including delays
- Completion checks and contractor recalls
- Records kept, and where
How Lorework helps
Lorework learns your written repairs procedure and works through it the way your team does. It triages reports, drafts the para 91 and para 93 messages for your approval, schedules follow-ups and contractor chasers, and keeps a clear record of what was done and when. It works by email, chat and SMS, inside the systems you already use.
Related: Repair update email templates · Awaab's Law message templates · Repairing Standard checklist · Lorework for letting agents in Scotland
Questions
Do we need written repair procedures?
Yes, if you provide repairs and maintenance directly on the landlord's behalf. Para 86 says you must put appropriate written procedures in place, and your procedure should include target timescales for routine and emergency repairs.
Must we tell tenants about delays?
Yes. Para 93 says that if there is any delay you must inform the landlords, tenants or both as appropriate, along with the reason, as soon as possible.
What if the landlord hasn't authorised the work?
Para 89 says that where the work is not covered by your agreement, you should inform the landlord in writing of the work required and seek their instructions on how to proceed.
How much notice do we give for access?
Para 92 says reasonable notice, unless other arrangements have been agreed. It points to section 184 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 and, for private residential tenancies, paragraph 6 of the schedule to the Private Residential Tenancies (Statutory Terms) (Scotland) Regulations 2017.
Is this the same as the Repairing Standard?
No. The Code sets standards for letting agents. The Repairing Standard is the landlord's legal duty on the condition of the property. See our Repairing Standard checklist.
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