Tenancy Laws - How to Deal with Urgent Repairs

If you request urgent repairs the landlord or property agent must respond immediately.  The tenancy laws in Victoria, Australia state that:

 
Urgent repairs are: 

• a burst water service 
• a blocked or broken toilet system 
• a serious roof leak 
• a gas leak 
• a dangerous electrical fault 
• flooding or serious flood damage 
• serious storm or fire damage 
• a failure or breakdown of any essential service or appliance provided by your landlord or agent for hot water, water, cooking, heating, or laundering 
• failure or breakdown of the gas, electricity, or water supply 
• any fault or damage in the premises that makes the premises unsafe or insecure 
• an appliance, fitting or fixture that is not working properly and causes a substantial amount of water to be wasted 
• a serious fault in a lift or staircase.

Steps you can take to have an urgent item repaired:

• Speak with your landlord about whether your repair is urgent. If you request urgent repairs, the landlord or agent must respond without delay. 
• If a repair is urgent and you are not getting a prompt response from your landlord or agent, you can authorise the repair for up to $1800. 
• You can then give your landlord or agent a notice asking that they pay you back for the cost of the urgent repairs. Your landlord or agent has 14 days to pay from the date they receive the notice. 
• If the landlord or agent does not complete the urgent repairs and they are going to cost more than $1800, or you cannot afford to pay for them, you can apply to VCAT, which will hear the application within two business days. VCAT can order the landlord or agent to arrange the repairs.

With True Property Management you have the option of  requesting your repairs by phone or using the online form.