Repairs and maintenance are one of the most common sources of conflict between tenants and landlords. Australian tenancy laws clearly outline who is responsible for maintaining rental properties.
Landlord Responsibilities
Landlords must ensure the property is:
- safe and structurally sound
- reasonably clean at the start of the tenancy
- maintained in good repair
This includes maintaining essential services such as electricity, gas, plumbing, and heating systems.
Tenant Responsibilities
Tenants are responsible for:
- keeping the property reasonably clean
- reporting damage or maintenance issues promptly
- avoiding damage caused by negligence or misuse
Tenants should notify landlords as soon as repairs are needed to prevent small problems from becoming larger issues.
Urgent vs Non-Urgent Repairs
Urgent repairs include issues that affect safety or essential services, such as:
- gas leaks
- major water leaks
- broken toilets
- electrical faults
These must typically be addressed quickly by the landlord.
👉 Before renting, it can be helpful to understand how responsive building management is to maintenance requests. Explore renter experiences at https://hub.pleasy.com.au/.