Maintenance of the rental home is a responsibility of both the tenant and landlord. The following covers what you should check throughout the stages of your tenancy.
The landlord must provide and maintain the rental home to minimum standards. They are expected to respond to requests for repairs from tenants in reasonable time.
Assign the premises: To transfer rights to occupy the premises and associated responsibilities to another person.
Bond: Money paid by the tenant and held by the Bond Administrator as security against damage to the premises.
As a lessor/landlord or tenant you will need to know your rights and responsibilities. The following publications and forms provide you with all the information you need to help you manage your tenancy.
These guides cover the key information about renting a home - from moving in to moving out and handling common problems.
Landlords guide
A person can only be listed on a residential tenancy database if:
Most rental problems can be sorted out by trying these simple steps first:
If this fails, your next option may be to apply to:
It’s always better to negotiate an outcome with the tenant/landlord before making an application to Court or Tribunal.
Tenancy databases may be used by lessors (landlords) or real estate agents as a way of screening people who have applied to rent a property. They are commonly referred to as “blacklists” or “bad tenant databases”.
Tenancy databases are run by private companies, not by the Government. They collect and hold information about tenants and can only be used by members (usually real estate agents) who pay membership fees.
Your rental agreement should cover responsibility for bills such as, if any:
Tenants are not liable to pay council rates if the agreement was made, renewed or extended after 1 July 2013.
In most cases, tenants can keep a pet but they must get their landlord’s permission first. A landlord can ask the tenant to pay a pet bond.
Read the Commissioner's Guidelines - Pet request in a rental
The tenant’s bond money can be released after the end of their tenancy. A landlord must show the tenant proof, such as a receipt, for any claims they make against the bond.
This information is applicable to:
A security bond may need to be changed when there is a change in:
Tenant(s) and landlord(s) will be sent a new bond certificate when a variation has been processed.
A landlord may request a tenant(s) to increase or top up a bond at the next rent increase.
The bond increase can only cover the:
