Under a general obligation in Sydney NSW the landlord is to provide and maintain their rented premises in a reasonable state of repair relative to the age of the property, the rent payable, and the prospective life of the premises.
Who is responsible for property repairs and maintenance?
There are a number of considerations in the obligation:
1) What is meant by reasonable state of repair? At the beginning of any tenancy the landlord must conduct repairs to any defect noticeable on inspection prior to the tenant renting the property.
2) What is meant by maintaining the premises in a reasonable state of repair? Any defects notified to the landlord by the tenant during the course of the tenancy must carried out by the landlord within a reasonable time frame. Taken into account are matters such as the nature of the repairs, their cost, and their urgency.
3) What is meant by reasonable state of repair? Beyond obvious safety issues, the premises must be fit for use as a residence by the tenant. A general rule of thumb as a landlord is to ensure the property is in the same or a better state of repair as it was in at the beginning of the tenancy. This includes all parts of the property that was rented to the tenant.
4) As a landlord you are not responsible for disrepair to your property that was caused by the tenant.
5) As the landlord you are generally responsible for structural repairs to your premises such as repairing roofs, walls, doors, floors, or utility services like water or electricity supply.
6) As a landlord you are not generally responsible for repairs to consumable products such as washers, globes, and batteries. These issues fall under the tenant’s responsibility.
7) As a landlord your property must be safe for use as a premises by your tenant, there can’t be anything in the property that could pose either a danger of illness or injury to the tenant.
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