Both the tenant and landlord have responsibilities and obligations when it comes to repairs and maintenance which both parties should be aware of. After all, it is in both parties interests to have the property repaired promptly to prevent further damage and discomfort of living.

If tenants discover damage or maintenance that needs to be undertaken then they should inform the landlord. If the damage is serious or is likely to cause harm to someone and the tenants have been unable to contact the landlord after making every effort to do so, then the tenants may have the repairs done and ask the landlord to reimburse them for any expenses. However, if the repairs are not of an urgent nature then the tenants must inform the landlord and ask them to fix it.

If the tenants have asked a landlord to make certain non-urgent repairs and the landlord has not done so in a reasonable amount of time, then the tenants have other actions they can take, such as serving the landlord with a Ten Working Day letter asking for the work to be done. In situations such as this, it is recommended that the tenant contact Tenancy Services to ensure they follow the correct procedures.

On some occasions the landlord may discover damage that has been caused by the tenant. In these cases the landlord should issue the tenant with a Ten Working Day notice, which will give the tenant two weeks to fix the problem.

If these obligations are fulfilled, it is advantageous to both parties, with the tenant having a safe, comfortable place to live and the landlord having an investment that will continue to give good returns.