Ensure your property is safe for tenants
If you are a property investor in Australia, then it is essential your rental property is safe, secure and maintained for the duration of the tenancy agreement with your tenants.
By law, as a landlord, you must take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of your rental property and your tenants. This includes ensuring tenants and their visitors are not at risk due to poor building maintenance and that utilities such as gas and electricity are connected and are in sound working order.
Other responsibilities include ensuring smoke alarms are installed and checked regularly. Moreover, landlords should act immediately on requests for urgent repairs to protect their tenants against accidents or injury and work closely with their property manager.
A classic case a few years ago involved a tenant tripping down some stairs due to low visibility. A faulty light that needed replacing caused the fall. This situation was interesting as the landlord had promised to fix the lighting issue rather than allowing the property manager to address the problem. Unfortunately, the landlord didn’t get around to repairing the light. By attempting to save a few dollars, the landlord ended up with an expensive legal issue, which is a lesson for all investors.
If you have any questions, or need clarification on any of the above, please contact Anna Marten, our Head of Property Management, on 9651 1666 or anna@guardianrealty.com.au.
Important note: Clients should not rely solely on the content of this newsletter. All endeavors are made to ensure the content is current and accurate however, we make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or currency of the content. Readers should seek their own independent professional advice before making decisions.