The law says the rental provider (sometimes known as a landlord) has to make sure the place you're renting is in good repair and reasonable condition before you move in. They also have to take care of repairs while you're renting.
Asking for repairs
If anything breaks or stops working while you're renting, you may be able to get your rental provider to fix it. If you break or damage something, though, you're responsible for paying for the damage.
There are two kinds of repairs: 'urgent' and 'general'. Tenants Victoria has information about repairs for rented homes. They explain the difference between urgent and general repairs and how to ask for repairs from your rental provider.
Urgent repairs
If a repair is urgent, your rental provider has to arrange to have it fixed within 2 to 3 days of being told about it. If they haven't arranged repairs, you can arrange repairs yourself. If you pay for these repairs, your rental provider should reimburse you.
Urgent repairs are things like:
- a blocked toilet
- a leaking roof
- a gas leak
- no hot water
- any damage that makes your home unsafe.
General (non-urgent) repairs
If a repair isn't urgent, the rental provider or property manager has 14 days to arrange for repairs. If they don't arrange repairs in that time, you can ask Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) to negotiate for repairs to be made on your behalf. CAV will always ask you to prove that you've already tried to resolve the dispute by speaking to your rental provider.
Links
Tenants Victoria
For residential tenants living in Victoria who require information or help with their legal rights around renting.
Consumer Affairs Victoria - renting
Advice on dealing with disagreements between rental provider, agents and tenants.