on yesterday’s Today Tonight program there was a story a landlady keeps a house full of junks and does not let the tenants end the lease early (and the tenants paying $300 pw), it’s not only dangerous but also a health hazard as there are cockroaches and mices. But neither the council nor the tenancy board can do a thing about it. It makes me think when a tenant requests a repair, if it is trivial can I deny the request. As I have this tenant in NZ requested repairs non stop since he moved in and it costs me a fortune every time. What repairs are required by law ? I understand in general a rental has to be kept in liveable conditon.
I think you can refuse trivial repairs. But landlords are required to keep the property safe, and essential repairs must be done. I good place to look is the various tenants union websites – places where tenants are advised of their rights.
eg
http://www.tuv.org.au/
http://www.tenants.org.au/Terryw
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Originally posted by ttman:on yesterday’s Today Tonight program there was a story a landlady keeps a house full of junks and does not let the tenants end the lease early (and the tenants paying $300 pw), it’s not only dangerous but also a health hazard as there are cockroaches and mices. But neither the council nor the tenancy board can do a thing about it. It makes me think when a tenant requests a repair, if it is trivial can I deny the request. As I have this tenant in NZ requested repairs non stop since he moved in and it costs me a fortune every time. What repairs are required by law ? I understand in general a rental has to be kept in liveable conditon.
It’s a tough one; do you fix it and keep them happy, or ingore it when it is trivial?
My belief is to fix it and keep them happy – karma and all that. I think once you start to go down the path of delaying or ignoring even the trivial repairs it can cause resentment and escalate the problems.
If the property returns are good my view is just absorb it, pay the repair bill and move on, but if the property is negatively geared and costing a packet anyway this may be hard to take.
When the lease is up you can put up the rent significantly to cover the costs a bit, and he will accept it or force him out. It sounds like you could do without this tenant.Cheers,
Marc.
[email protected]If you watched that program to the end you would have learned that the Rental Tribunal ordered that the tenants be released from their lease.
You are legally obliged to remedy any situations concerning safety, e.g., dodgy electricals. Apart from that, I work on the basis of maintaining the property in the condition it was in when the tenants entered into the lease.
Other requests we treat on their merits, always listening to our managers. In general, if the repair is one that we would have to do before the next tenant moves in, then it is reasonable to do it.
From the way you say “the property is in NZ” I presume you don’t live nearby. Checking with the property manager would be my first action. We have set a low limit with our managers on the amount they can spend without referral to us ($100).
We have found that close supervision of property managers is essential – get on first name basis, send Christmas cards, call in for a brief chat – in other words, become a “face” rather than a “name”.
Occasionally get independent quotes yourself to ensure that best prices are being obtained by property managers – unfortunately there is sometimes the knowledge that “it’s tax deductible for the landlord” translates to higher prices.
MargThanks folks for the great suggestions So far I have not refused any repairs and sometimes even paid for extra such as when the tenant required an additional power point in her study.
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