If You Are a Landlord, Here Are Your Responsibilities and Obligations!
                     If You Are a 
Landlord,  Here 
Are Your  
Responsibilities 
and  Obligations!
A landlord has a duty towards the safety of rented property 
 and its assets. This has been dictated by the law itself and 
it  is of utmost importance that there is no injury or damage 
to  the tenants or even the neighbors residing by the 
property.  This is the very basic responsibility of a landlord. 
But there  are some things and factors in addition to the 
common law,  which also fall under the landlord’s 
responsibilities.
Let us see what are those.
Landlord Responsibilities Include:
Maintenance of the house, its structure, and its exterior.
Ensuring that installations such as gas, electricity, and heating 
are working.  Taking care of the installation and appliance 
maintenance. This applies only to  the appliances that a landlord 
owns.
Immediately treating potentially health-threatening issues 
such as rising  damp.
Everything and anything else that is included in the tenancy 
agreement.
All of these are some of the obvious responsibilities of a landlord. 
Being an owner  is more than just collecting rents and maintaining 
the property as mentioned  above. But there are even more 
important things to do like building and  maintaining relationships, 
communicating, and creating mutual trust.
If you are looking for one, then contact the best property 
management company  i.e., Freedom Realtors.
Below are some of the top landlord rights and obligations in 
Australia.
So, if you are looking to rent out your home or if you are 
considering purchasing  an investment property, then this is for 
you. Keep reading!
Entry Rights as a Landlord
Even though it is your property and you have rights to see it 
anytime you  want, let me tell you that you actually CANNOT 
pop in whenever you feel  like.
Being a landlord, you can only enter the premises under certain  
circumstances. For instance, in the case of an emergency, or 
with the consent  of your tenant.
Other reasons you can enter your house are for conducting a 
routine  inspection. But even for this, you will have to notify 
the tenant in advance.  Also, you may have to enter the 
property occasionally on short notice. In  such a case too, you 
will have to inform the tenants beforehand.
Repairs and Maintenance
Anything that needs repair or maintenance must also be taken 
care of by the  landlord.
Occasionally you may also be contacted by your tenant or 
property manager  advising that you are going to have to repair 
any object in your rental property.  While some of these may not 
be urgent, others may need to be attended  immediately.
As a landlord, it is your duty to provide and maintain the state of 
repair during the  tenancy. If the tenant causes any damage at the 
premises, they will be responsible  for the repairs. There are some 
special provisions that apply only for urgent and  emergency 
maintenance.
As a landlord, you are only obliged to undertake repairs, and not the 
updates. The  repairs and maintenance which are non-urgent do not 
include changes a tenant  simply desires. For instance, requesting a 
new carpet or a fresh paint, unless the  tenant negotiated this 
before moving into the property.
However, you will have to respond to the request without causing 
any delay.
If you do not do anything, your tenant has the right to arrange for 
these repairs to  be completed up to a certain value that too at your 
expense.
In case, you have no idea about what comes under urgent repair, it is 
suggested to  consult your property manager or you can even 
consult your local consumer  affairs office.
Utilities and Bills
This is quite interesting. When are you going to be responsible 
for paying bills  such as water, electricity, or gas.
Okay, so, tenants are only liable for services that are separately 
metered for  their use such as water. You as a landlord are liable 
to pay for most other  charges such as land taxes and council 
rates.
Security and Locks on Rental Property
This is obvious and also really important. Landlords are 
responsible for  providing rental property in a secure condition 
with locks on doors, windows.  The landlord must give a copy of 
keys to the tenants in the beginning of the  tenancy itself.
The Rent
As a landlord, you have the right to request rent either on a weekly, fortnightly or 
monthly basis.
With both the bond and rental payments received, landlord should provide detailed 
and signed receipts  which states the date, amount received, name of the tenant, 
property address, and duration for which it  has been paid.
Successful tenant selection is a skill and this is the time where an experienced and a 
professional  property manager can help. For stress-free and excellent services, you 
can contact the best property  management company in Melbourne. For that, 
contact Freedom Realtors.
Why Hire Property Management Company?
The real estate management company helps in handling all 
the necessary  paperwork.
You get tons of free consulting from an expert (property 
manager) who  potentially knows the neighborhood a lot 
better you would do.
They are responsible for following up whether the tenant 
pays their rent  on time or not.
Management companies are experts in handling repairs and 
maintenance.  They know how to act upon such things quickly 
and inexpensively.
Your property is managed better than you could ever imagine.
You do not have to manage the whole operation on your 
own. You stay  stress-free and you still get the revenue.
As a landlord, you will have to be a jack of all trades—and 
master of all as well.
Registering the Bond
As a landlord, you take a bond from your tenants as a security deposit. Right? In case the 
tenant fails to  keep the area well-maintained or even cause any damage to the property, 
or if they don’t pay rent on time,  you can claim some or their entire bond at the end of 
tenancy to compensate for the loss.
In such a case, you should make sure to forward the bond to your state’s residential 
tenancies bond  authority which will hold the bond for the tenant and landlord during the 
tenancy period. This is something  your property manager can also do on their behalf.
Cases when you cannot claim the damage is in the next example. If the appliances you 
have provided to  your tenants are not sparkling new anymore but are working well, you 
cannot claim the bond unless they  have been damaged.
Generally, you can make a claim on the bond for 
following reasons:  Any damage caused by the tenant 
or the tenant’s visitors.
Any cleaning expenses.
If the tenant abandons the 
premises.  Loss of any 
landlord’s goods.
Unpaid rent.
Rent and Increase
Rent can be paid weekly, fortnightly, or monthly as mentioned 
above.  However, if rent is paid weekly, you (landlord) cannot ask 
for an increase more  than 14 days when the tenancy period 
begins.
You cannot increase rent anytime you want to. If you have a 
standard lease,  you might want to wait until the end of the 
fixed term to increase the rent.
Generally, you cannot increase the rent more than once every six 
months.  Also, if you are increasing the rent, you must give your 
tenant at least 60 days’  notice of any changes.
Being a landlord is not only a walk in the park. It takes time and 
effort to keep  your property up and running. The above-
mentioned rules and regulations are  in place to guide you and 
help you manage the rental in a bit easier manner.
In case you have any concern, it is suggested you talk to a 
professional  property manager and discuss the concerns about 
managing or maintaining a  property. A property management 
expert will help you make better decisions  for your investment 
property.
GET IN TOUCH
1 Raphael St, Hallam VIC 3803
047 637 2002
[email protected]
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