Trip hazards
Uneven floors, damaged steps or loose surfaces can make moving around your home difficult. Learn what to record, how to report the hazard and how to follow up if it remains.
Understanding trip hazards
Trip hazards may include damaged flooring, raised paving, loose coverings or broken steps. They can occur in your home, an outside path or a shared access route.
Responsibility depends on the surface, who owns or maintains it and the cause. A loose personal rug is different from damaged landlord-provided flooring or a shared staircase. Describe the condition and ask who is responsible rather than assuming every hazard has the same repair route.
What to look out for
Uneven surfaces
Raised, sunken or damaged flooring and paving.
Loose coverings
Floor coverings or path materials that are loose or damaged.
Damaged steps or routes
Damage affecting steps or a route you regularly use.
Keep safe access in mind
Avoid using the affected area where possible and ask your landlord about safe access if an essential route is affected. Do not disturb damaged paving or flooring to demonstrate the hazard.
Tell your landlord if mobility needs or household circumstances make the route particularly difficult. If someone is injured, seek appropriate medical help; immediate danger should go through the emergency route.
What you can do
You do not need a perfect set of evidence to make your first report. Start with what you know and add to your record as things change.
Describe what is happening
Record the precise location and type of uneven or damaged surface. Explain whether it is on an essential route, inside your home or in a shared area.
- Take a wider photo of the route and a closer view of the defect where safe.
- Note loose materials, damaged steps and changes over time.
- Record reports of the problem and any inspection or temporary arrangement.
Tell your landlord
Tell your landlord how the defect affects safe movement and whether there is another usable route. Ask who is responsible and how the hazard will be assessed and addressed.
See an example of what to write
I am reporting a trip hazard at [floor / step / path / shared route]. I first noticed [uneven surface / loose covering / damaged step] on [date]. It affects access to [room / entrance / outside area].
Please confirm you have received this report, explain how it will be assessed and let me know the next steps and expected timescale. I can share any photographs I have taken safely.
Keep your report reference, replies and repair appointments. If you report by phone, note the date and follow up in writing where possible.
Keep a record of the impact
Keep a record of access difficulties, rooms or routes you avoid and any changes after repair work. Save the response, inspection dates and proposed safety arrangements.
If the hazard worsens or an essential route becomes difficult to use, update your landlord. Record what happened without putting yourself at risk to demonstrate it.
What should your landlord do?
Damage to landlord-maintained floors, stairs or shared routes may engage repair or safety duties. Responsibility is affected by the agreement, location and cause, so ask for an assessment and a clear decision.
Repair and fitness standards in England and Wales can be relevant to dangerous surfaces. A particular defect or accident does not automatically establish responsibility or entitlement to compensation.
Common questions
What if the hazard is in a shared entrance?
Report its exact location to your landlord and explain how it affects access. Ask who maintains the route and what safe arrangements will be made.
Do I have to trip over it before reporting it?
No. Report a dangerous or damaged surface when you notice it. You do not need to demonstrate a fall or wait for an injury.
What if the repair leaves the surface uneven?
Record the condition after the work and explain how it still affects movement. Refer to the previous report and ask for it to be reassessed.
Can I complain without using Tenant Help?
Yes. You can use your landlord’s complaints process yourself. Further routes depend on your landlord and country: the Housing Ombudsman covers relevant social landlords in England, while the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales considers relevant Welsh public-service landlords. You do not have to use a claims management company.
If the problem continues
If a reported surface remains unsafe or access is still restricted after repairs, follow up with photos and your report reference. Ask for reassessment and safe access arrangements, using the complaints process if the response remains unresolved.
For council or housing association tenants, further complaint routes include the Housing Ombudsman in England and the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales. Their procedures and scope differ; check the relevant guidance about when to bring a complaint.
Private tenants in England and Wales can ask their local council’s housing or environmental health team about conditions that may harm health or safety. Your tenancy or occupation contract and the circumstances will affect the options available.
Want to talk through your situation?
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Read how Tenant Help works before deciding whether to be introduced to a solicitor.