A burst pipe at midnight, a gas leak on a Sunday, no hot water in winter — urgent repairs cannot wait for office hours. In Australia, you have specific rights to get these fixed quickly, and in some cases you can arrange the repair yourself and recover the cost. Here is exactly what to do.
What counts as an urgent repair
Not every repair is urgent in the legal sense. Australian tenancy law defines urgent repairs as those that affect your safety or the basic liveability of the property. These generally include:
A dripping tap or a malfunctioning oven is not urgent. A burst pipe flooding your home is.
- Burst water service or waterlogging
- Blocked or broken toilet (where it is the only toilet)
- Serious roof leak
- Gas leak or faulty gas appliance
- Dangerous electrical fault or power failure
- Flooding
- Failure or breakdown of heating system in cold weather (VIC in particular)
- Failure of cooling system in extreme heat (some states)
- Serious security failure (broken external door lock)
Step 1: Contact your landlord or agent immediately
Your first obligation — legally and practically — is to attempt to contact your landlord or agent. Do this:
Note the exact time of each attempt. You need to demonstrate that you tried to contact them and either could not reach them or they refused to arrange the repair within a reasonable timeframe.
- Call the agent's emergency maintenance number (this is usually printed on your lease, your inspection report, or your property management app)
- If no response, call or text the agent directly
- If still no response, try the landlord directly if you have their contact details
- Leave a voicemail and send a text or email simultaneously — this creates a timestamp
Step 2: Your right to arrange the repair yourself
If you genuinely cannot reach the landlord or agent within a reasonable time — typically defined as a few hours for a genuine emergency — you have the right in most states to arrange an urgent repair yourself and seek reimbursement.
Key rules:
Cost limits by state:
- The repair must be genuinely urgent
- You must use a licensed tradesperson (not a friend who is handy)
- The cost must be reasonable
- You must keep all receipts and invoices
- You must notify the landlord or agent as soon as practicable
- NSW: Up to the lesser of $1,000 or one week's rent
- VIC: The cost must be 'reasonable' — no fixed cap, but proportionality applies
- QLD: Up to $300 for minor repairs; for urgent repairs where the lessor cannot be contacted, reasonable cost applies
- WA: Reasonable cost; the law does not specify a cap for genuine urgent repairs
Step 3: Document and claim reimbursement
After the repair is done:
If the landlord refuses to reimburse you, apply to your state tribunal. Bring all your documentation — your contact attempt log, the invoices, and your written request for reimbursement.
- Keep the tradesperson's invoice with their name, licence number, the work description, and the amount
- Send everything to your landlord or agent immediately in writing: a description of the problem, your attempts to contact them, when you arranged the repair, who did the work, and the cost
- Attach the invoice and request reimbursement within a specific timeframe (7–14 days is reasonable)
Emergency services and council
Some urgent situations require emergency services, not just a tradesperson:
Your safety comes first. The landlord can be notified after the emergency is under control.
- Gas leak: Call your gas provider's emergency line immediately (AGL: 132 091; Origin: 132 461; local network operator). Do not wait for the landlord. Evacuate if necessary.
- Flooding: Contact your local council's emergency after-hours line if the source is external (stormwater, drainage)
- Electrical emergency: Call an electrician immediately; in serious situations (fire risk, live wires), call 000