Getting repairs done with your community housing provider

What happens when you report a maintenance request will depend on what is to be repaired, how it happened and who actually owns the property.

Your responsibility if you need a repair done

It is your responsibility as a tenant to report any relevant repairs to your housing provider as soon as possible. Reporting your issue is particularly important if there is likely to be further damage or if your home will be unsafe if the repair is not completed quickly.

Urgent repairs

Your community housing provider will have a phone number for you to call for urgent or emergency repairs listed on their website. The Residential Tenancies Act 2010 requires that all urgent repairs be completed within 24 hours of your reporting them to your housing provider. Not all urgent repairs can be completed immediately. In these cases, a temporary repair will be carried out. A list of what is considered an urgent repair can be found on Urgent repairs in residential rental properties.

Non-urgent repairs

Non-urgent repairs are those that do not need fixing right away. For example, a broken cupboard or a cracked glass window. They are not threatening the property's structure or endangering lives, but will need to be done to keep the property in reasonable condition.The Residential Tenancies Act does not provide any guidelines as to when they should be completed.

In many cases, community housing providers operate a priority system that allows them to distinguish between urgent and non-urgent repairs. This allows them to respond accordingly. In most cases, the level of discomfort or disruption the repair causes the tenant determines the priority. So does the potential damage to the property if it is not attended to.

If you need a non-urgent repair done

Start by notifying your community housing provider and follow Steps to get non-urgent repairs done.

If your property is leased from a private landlord, your housing provider will notify them of any repairs that are needed. Your housing provider will already have agreed an appropriate time frame for the completion of works. Follow up if you don't hear back, and keep a copy of your requests.

Planned maintenance

All community housing providers are required to develop plans for the long-term maintenance of their properties. This ensures that the properties they manage are maintained at an appropriate standard. Some repairs you may wish to report will be carried out as part of this planned maintenance.

If you have any concerns about the condition of your property please contact your housing provider directly.