Monday, April 20, 2015

Bad weather, repairs and tenants' rights

Summer's lease hath all too short a date, as the bard said. It's quite a storm out.


If the cold wet weather is making its way inside your house, please get informed about your rights (and obligations) as a tenant by having a look at our factsheets on repairs and storm damage – and contact your local Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service if you've any questions.

5 comments:

  1. Hope everyone stays safe with the storms and flooding.

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  2. My rental apartment's bedroom has water leakage, dripping ceiling and the carpet in my bedroom is all wet due to the storm. I have already informed my agent and ask for repairs on 23 April. But there is still no one come and fix it, my furnitures are damaged, can I ask for compensation for this? What should I do? My agent did not respond me formally.

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    Replies
    1. Hi imathena,
      The short answer is yes, you should be able to ask for compensation.
      The long answer is getting compensation depends on a whole range of things, and you should really get some advice about this. Follow the link above to find the contact and availability details for your local Tenants' Advice and Advocacy Service - they should be able to talk you through it.
      All the best,
      Ned.

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  3. Hi, I was hoping for some advice. The apartment we are renting became damp on April 29th we informed our landlord that one of the bedroom walls and floor had become wet to the touch. Our landlord informed us that it was an issue with the apartments above and there was nothing she could do. A few days later we informed her that some of our belongings had gone mouldy and there was mould growing up the walls of the bedroom. Also that we had had to move out of that room and share the other bedroom and sleep in the living room.
    It took her over a week to get in touch about someone coming round to clean the mould by which time there was mould growing in the second bedroom also. We had done everything we could to prevent this and more damage by keeping windows open during the day and removing things from walls and floor. The building manager came to clean the mould off and informed us it was actually due to the apartment being below ground level and the water was seeping in and up the walls which is why the floor was damp and not the ceiling. A few days after the mould was cleaned we called our landlord to tell them the room was still constantly damp to which they said there was nothing they could do as it was coming from above. At this point we also informed them that the mould was now growing again against another wall and on both bedroom curtains. This has been an on going situation for 4 weeks and this morning we awoke to a fungi growing out of our living room wall. We informed our landlord who took over 6 hours to reply to us and does not seem bothered. We have informed them we wish to cancel our tenancy but she feels we don't have the right to. Please could someone help? Many Thanks.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sarah,

      Check out our Tenants Rights Manual for the basics - especially the chapters on repairs and maintenance and the NSW Civil & Administrative Tribunal (http://www.legalanswers.sl.nsw.gov.au/guides/tenants_rights_manual/index.html)

      But ultimately, it sound like you need some advice. Give your local Tenants' Advice and Advocacy Service a call - their contact and availability details are at www.tenants.org.au.

      All the best,
      Ned.

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