Tolerable Standard

The Tolerable Standard is a basic level of repair your property must meet to make it fit for a person to live in. The local council can force you to carry out work to bring your home up to the tolerable standard.

A home may not be fit to live in if:

• it has problems with rising or penetrating damp
• it's not structurally stable (for example, it might be subsiding)
• it does not have enough ventilation, natural and artificial light or heating
• it's not insulated well enough
• it does not have an acceptable fresh water supply, or a sink with hot and cold water
• it does not have an indoor toilet, a fixed bath or shower, and a wash basin with hot and cold water
• it does not have a good drainage and sewerage system
• the electric supply does not meet safety regulations
• it does not have a proper entrance
• there are no cooking facilities – this does not mean the landlord has to provide a cooker, but there must be somewhere suitable for a tenant to install their own