Pre-action protocol timetable
Under the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims, a landlord should normally reply to a letter of claim within 20 working days of receiving it, and the letter is treated as received two days after its date. The property should then be inspected within 20 working days of the reply, and the expert’s report sent within 10 working days of the inspection.
Enter the date on the letter, and the other dates as they happen, to see each step’s date. The dates you enter stay on your device.
Not sent a letter of claim yet? How the Pre-Action Protocol works
Worked example
A letter of claim is dated Monday 6 July 2026.
- It is treated as received on Wednesday 8 July 2026.
- The landlord should reply by Wednesday 5 August 2026.
- It replies on Wednesday 5 August 2026, so the inspection should happen by Thursday 3 September 2026. The August bank holiday does not count.
- The inspection is on Tuesday 1 September 2026, so the report should be sent by Tuesday 15 September 2026.
- The report arrives on Tuesday 15 September 2026. If the landlord did not cover the repairs in its reply, its full response should follow by Tuesday 13 October 2026.
How the dates are counted
- Receipt is two days after the date on the letter, even if that falls on a weekend. The 20 working days begin the day after that.
- Working days are Monday to Friday, leaving out bank holidays in England and Wales.
- The protocol’s template letter counts differently. It asks for a reply within 20 working days “of this letter”, which can be a day or two earlier. The calculator shows both when they differ.
- These are long stops. The protocol expects everyone to act sooner if they can, and the dates can be changed by agreement.
Source: the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims (England), in force from 13 January 2020, paragraphs 6.2 to 6.4, 7.2, 7.4 and 9, and Annex A, checked on Wednesday 28 October 2026. Check there for any newer version. Bank holidays from gov.uk.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does a landlord have to reply to a letter of claim?
- Under the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims, the landlord should normally reply within 20 working days of receiving the letter of claim. The letter is treated as received two days after the date written on it.
- What happens if the landlord does not reply?
- The protocol says that failing to respond within 20 working days of receipt, or at all, is a breach of the protocol, and that the tenant is then free to issue proceedings.
- When should the inspection and the expert’s report happen?
- The property should be inspected within 20 working days of the landlord’s reply. A single joint expert’s report, or the agreed schedule after a joint inspection, should be sent to both sides within 10 working days of the inspection.
- Does this apply in Wales?
- This timetable follows the protocol for England. Wales has its own pre-action protocol for housing disrepair, with the same periods for the reply, the inspection and the report. See repairs and disrepair in Wales.
- Is it free?
- Yes. The calculator is free and needs no sign-up. What you type stays on your device: we do not store it or see it.