Repairs and maintenance

The law says these problems need urgent repair:

• A burst water service
• A blocked or broken toilet
• A serious roof leak
• A gas leak
• A dangerous electrical fault
• Flooding or serious flood damage
• Serious storm or fire damage
• A failure or breakdown of any essential service or appliance provided for water, hot water, cooking, heating or doing laundry
• A failure or breakdown of any cooling appliance or service
• A failure or breakdown of any safety-related device, such as a smoke alarm or pool fence
• A failure or breakdown in any appliance or fitting supplied by the park or caravan owner that will result in a large amount of water being wasted
• A failure or breakdown of the gas, electricity or water supply
• Any fault or damage that makes your home unsafe or not secure, including pest infestations and mould or damp caused by the building structure. Find out more on this page about mould and damp
• Any fault or damage that stops you accessing the site safely
• Any subsidence (sinking) of the site
• A breakdown of sewerage access to, under, or affecting, the site
• A serious fault in a lift or staircase

Fixing mould and damp caused by the building structure is an urgent repair under rental laws. While a caravan may not be a ‘building structure’, mould can still make it unsafe. If you are renting a caravan and dealing with mould, you should generally treat it as an urgent repair.

Properties for rent need to be free from mould and damp.

Impact on health

Mould and damp in the home can have harmful health effects, including respiratory problems and mental health impacts.

The Healthy Housing Centre of Research Excellence, a project funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, has an infographic about how mould and damp can affect your health.

View the Healthy Housing infographic: Health impact of dampness and mould [PDF 808 KB].

Your responsibilities

The caravan owner is responsible for fixing mould and damp in your caravan unless you caused it.

If you cause any mould or damp, you may be asked to fix it. To avoid causing mould or damp, follow your duties under the rental laws. These include keeping your home reasonably clean and taking care not to cause damage.

Sometimes it can be difficult to work out if repairs are urgent.

To start with, look at the list of problems the law says are urgent repairs on this page and check if your issue falls under any of them. For example, if you have a 4-burner stove and 2 burners are not working, it will be an urgent repair, even though the stove is still partly working. It falls under: ‘A failure or breakdown of any essential service or appliance provided for water, hot water, cooking, heating or doing laundry’.

Another way to test if repairs are urgent is to ask yourself if the issue is serious or makes your home unsafe. If you decide it is and apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to get the urgent repairs done and VCAT doesn’t agree it’s urgent, you will not be penalised. You will just have to go through the process for non-urgent repairs.

Read more on this page about applying to VCAT to get urgent repairs done.

The caravan park owner must maintain, repair and keep clean and tidy all communal bathrooms, toilets and laundries, as well as any other communal facilities in the caravan park.

If you report that a communal area or facility needs repair, the law says the caravan park owner has 7 days to fix the problem.

However, if you believe the repair is urgent and needs to done sooner, you can follow the process on this page for getting urgent repairs done. If you apply to VCAT, it may agree with you and order the caravan park owner to fix the problem as soon as possible.

Otherwise, you will need to follow the process on this page for getting non-urgent repairs done.

Call the park or caravan owner to report the problem and ask for urgent repairs.

If the problem happens after hours, use the emergency contact number given to you when you moved in.

Put it in writing

Immediately after speaking to the park or caravan owner, or other emergency contact, send them a text or email so your request is also in writing.

If you note that urgent repairs are needed on the condition report when you move in, the law considers this a written request for urgent repairs.

If you cannot reach anyone

If you cannot reach anyone, keep a copy of your phone log and any text messages and emails you sent. This is important to show that you gave the park or caravan owner the opportunity to act immediately and are therefore entitled to make an urgent repairs application to VCAT. See more on this page about applying to VCAT for repairs.

If you need to arrange urgent repairs yourself – such as for a gas leak or burst water pipe – send a text or email as evidence of your attempt to notify the park or caravan owner, or other emergency contact. Then follow up with more details in writing once the immediate danger or damage has been dealt with. This complies with the law and will also help with getting repaid by the park or caravan owner if you paid for the urgent repairs. Find out more on this page about when to pay for urgent repairs yourself.

It is a good idea to take photos or videos of the problem and also keep a record of all your communication about it with the park or caravan owner, or other emergency contact. These can be useful if the repairs are not done and you need to take further action.

Photos and videos

Photos and videos can help show what the problem is and what needs to be done. Consider sending them when you report the problem. They may also be useful evidence later if you need to take further action.

Notes and copies

Keep notes and copies of any communication you have with the park or caravan owner, or other emergency contact, about the urgent repairs. For phone calls, emails and texts, make a note of the date and time and who you dealt with.

Keep your notes and copies safe in case you need them later.

If you have not been able to get in touch with the park or caravan owner, or other emergency contact, or they refuse to do the repairs or don’t do them properly, you can apply to VCAT for an order that says they must do them. VCAT will hear your case within 2 business days.

Applying to VCAT

To apply for an urgent repair order, use the form on VCAT’s website: General application – residential tenancies.

Your application should include:

• Whether the repairs are for the caravan or the site, or both, or for a communal area of the caravan park
• Details of what needs to be fixed
• What you want VCAT to do. For example, you want VCAT to make an order that the park or caravan owner must arrange for the repairs to be done by a suitably qualified person and by a certain time
• Any supporting evidence, such as photos or videos of the problem and copies of any communication you had with the park or caravan owner, or other emergency contact, about the repairs

For more on filling out the VCAT application form, see our page on applying to VCAT.

If you need assistance filling out the form, this page says where you can get help.

VCAT will let you know when and where the hearing will take place and what you need to bring.

At the VCAT hearing

At the hearing, you will need to show VCAT that you told the park or caravan owner, or other emergency contact, about the problem and that the repairs are urgent. Bring along:

• Your copy of the application form
• Your evidence, including photos, videos and copies of any communication you had with the park or caravan owner, or other emergency contact, about the urgent repairs

In most cases, VCAT quickly makes an order on the day that says the park or caravan owner must do the repairs in an appropriate time frame.

If VCAT doesn’t agree the problem is urgent, it may:

• Encourage everyone to reach an agreement at the hearing
• Dismiss your application, which means you will have to reapply for non-urgent repairs. If you paid an application fee, you won’t get it back

While you may feel stressed about the hearing, VCAT is less formal than a court and you can get help from Tenants Victoria and other organisations. Find out more on this page about getting help.

For more on preparing for VCAT and attending the hearing, see our page about dealing with VCAT.

You can also watch our step-by-step video on going to VCAT.

Keep paying rent

If the park or caravan owner doesn’t arrange the repairs, do not stop paying rent and do not use your rent money to pay for the repairs. If you do not pay rent or hiring charges, the park or caravan owner could give you a notice to vacate for overdue rent.

If you don’t want the park or caravan owner to get any rent or hiring charges from you until the repairs are done, you can ask VCAT if you can pay the money to Consumer Affairs Victoria instead. Consumer Affairs Victoria is the government department that regulates the rental laws. Your money goes into the Rent Special Account until the repairs are completed or VCAT is satisfied the repairs will be competed. You can request to pay rent and hiring charges into the Rent Special Account on any repairs application to VCAT.

Another way to get urgent repairs done is to arrange and pay for them yourself then get reimbursed (repaid) by the park or caravan owner.

We generally don’t recommend this, unless the repairs are needed for safety or to stop serious damage and the park or caravan owner, or other emergency contact, has not responded to your request.

If you arrange and pay for repairs yourself, you are responsible for the tradespeople and need to take additional steps to get repaid. You should also keep in mind that the park or caravan owner may have warranties covering various appliances and fittings. These may help with getting repairs done easily and cheaply but may require certain tradespeople to do the repairs for the warranty to continue.

You can arrange and pay for urgent repairs if:

• You tried to contact the park or caravan owner, or other emergency contact, but could not reach them, or
• You contacted the park or caravan owner, or other emergency contact, but they did not arrange the repairs, and
• The repairs cost less than $2500 (including GST)

Follow these steps for paying for urgent repairs and getting repaid by the park or caravan owner.

1. Check if you can pay

Can you afford to pay for the repairs yourself? Do you worry the park or caravan owner won’t repay you? Are the urgent repairs likely to cost more than $2500 (including GST)? If you are concerned about any of these things, apply to VCAT to ask for an urgent repair order instead. Find out more on this page about applying to VCAT for urgent repairs.

2. Get quotes

If you pay for repairs, the park or caravan owner only has to pay you back for ‘reasonable’ costs. Get 2 or 3 quotes to compare prices and make sure you don’t pay too much.

As all repairs need to be done by a ‘suitably qualified person’, find a licensed tradesperson.

If an appliance or fitting is being replaced, make sure it meets the minimum rating in water or energy efficiency standards. Water appliances should have a 3-star rating. If the caravan’s age, structure or plumbing means a 3-star appliance cannot be installed, a 2-star appliance may be installed.

See the Australian Government websites about water rating and energy rating.

There is also more information about efficiency ratings on our page on utility charges.

3. Book the repairs

Once you have selected the most reasonable quote and checked the GST, book your repairs.

4. Take ‘before and after’ photos and videos

Take photos and videos showing the damage before any work starts and then after the repairs are done. Keep these safe (and backed up), in case there are any questions in future.

5. Get a receipt or tax invoice

Make sure you get a receipt or tax invoice from the qualified tradesperson. Check that it includes details of the work done and how much you paid. If you think the park or caravan owner might try to blame you for the issue, ask the tradesperson to note what they suspect caused it.

6. Request payment from the park or caravan owner

Ask the park or caravan owner in writing to repay the money you spent on urgent repairs.

It is best to use the official Consumer Affairs Victoria form to do this as it means you include all the important details, such as descriptions of the repairs and costs and a copy of the invoice.

Download the Consumer Affairs Victoria form: Notice to caravan park owner or caravan owner [Word 108 KB].

For more on completing the form and giving it to the park or caravan owner, see our page about landlord (rental provider) breaches.

7. What happens next

Once you have given the park or caravan owner your written request for payment, they have 7 days to repay you. If they don’t, you can apply to VCAT for an order that they repay you. For information on how to do this, see our page about applying to VCAT.

Call the park or caravan owner to report the problem and ask for repairs. Once you have spoken to them, put your request in writing.

You can send an email or letter to ask for repairs, or use the Consumer Affairs Victoria form: Notice to caravan park owner or caravan owner [Word 108 KB].

However, Tenants Victoria recommends using the Consumer Affairs Victoria form: Notice of breach of duty to owner of caravan or caravan park [Word 114 KB]. This can make it easier to claim compensation, if you decide to do that. It also puts you in a better position to end your lease if the park or caravan owner frequently refuses or ignores repair requests.

There is also more information on our page about landlord (rental provider) breaches.

If you note that repairs are needed on the condition report when you move in, the law considers this a written request for repairs.

It is a good idea to take photos or videos of the problem and also keep a record of all your communication about it with the park or caravan owner. These can be useful if the repairs are not done and you need to take further action.

Photos and videos

Photos and videos can help show what the problem is and what needs to be done. Consider sending them when you report the problem to the park or caravan owner. They may also be useful evidence later.

Notes and copies

Keep notes and copies of any contact you have with the park or caravan owner about the repairs. For phone calls, emails and texts, make a note of the date and time and who you dealt with.

Make clear copies of important documents, such as the ‘notice of breach of duty to owner of caravan or caravan park’.

Keep your notes and copies safe in case you need them later.

If the park or caravan owner doesn’t arrange the repairs within 14 days, you can request a free inspection from Consumer Affairs Victoria.

This step is optional. However, an inspection report can be useful evidence if the problem is not obvious or is hard to show in videos or photos, such as bad smells or subsidence or foundation issues. The Consumer Affairs Victoria inspector may also negotiate directly with the park or caravan owner on your behalf to have the repairs carried out.

If you request a Consumer Affairs Victoria inspection, you must wait for the report before you can apply to VCAT. This can add a week or more to the process of getting to VCAT.

How to request a Consumer Affairs Victoria inspection

To request a free inspection, use the Consumer Affairs Victoria form: Request for repairs inspection or rent assessment [Word 71 KB].

Fill out the form and attach:

• Evidence that you asked the park or caravan owner for repairs in writing
• Any photos or videos of the problem

Then email or post your form and attachments to the address listed on the form. If you send it by post, we recommend you use registered post and keep your receipt and tracking number.

What happens next

An inspector from Consumer Affairs Victoria will contact you to arrange a time to visit your home.

After the inspection, they will send you and the park or caravan owner their report, including recommendations for required works. They may also contact the park or caravan owner to discuss the report.

If Consumer Affairs Victoria recommends repairs, and the park or caravan owner does not arrange them, or you suspect they will not complete them in a timely manner, you can apply to VCAT for non-urgent repairs and attach a copy of the report.

You can also apply to VCAT for non-urgent repairs if Consumer Affairs Victoria is unable to inspect the property for any reason or if you think you have enough evidence without an inspection report.

If non-urgent repairs are not made to your caravan or site by a suitably qualified person within 14 days of you requesting them in writing, you can apply to VCAT.

If you requested non-urgent repairs to a communal area of the caravan park, such as a communal bathroom, toilet or laundry, you can apply to VCAT after 7 days.

If you requested a free inspection from Consumer Affairs Victoria, you need to wait for the inspection report before applying to VCAT.

Applying to VCAT

To apply for a non-urgent repair order, use the form on VCAT’s website: General application – residential tenancies.

Your application should include:

• Whether the repairs are for the caravan or the site, or both, or for a communal area of the caravan park
• Details of what needs to be fixed
• What you want VCAT to do. For example, you want VCAT to make an order that the park or caravan owner must arrange for the repairs to be done by a suitably qualified person and by a certain time
• Any supporting evidence such as:
  • Photos or videos of the problem
  • Copies of any contact you had with the park or caravan owner about the repairs, including the official breach of duty notice if you gave them one
  • The Consumer Affairs Victoria inspection report if you have one (if you have one, it must be attached to your application)

For more on filling out the VCAT application form, see our page on applying to VCAT.

If you need assistance filling out the form, this page says where you can get help.

VCAT will let you know when and where the hearing will take place and what you need to bring.

At the VCAT hearing

At the hearing, you will need to show VCAT that you gave the park or caravan owner written notice that repairs were needed. Bring along:

• A copy of your VCAT application form
• Your evidence, including photos, videos, copies of any contact you had with the park or caravan owner about the repairs (including the breach of duty notice if you gave them one) and the Consumer Affairs inspection report if you have one

If the hearing is going to be online or by phone, contact VCAT beforehand on 1300 018 228 to discuss how you can provide your evidence.

Unless the park or caravan owner can prove you caused the damage, VCAT usually makes an order on the day that says the park or caravan owner must do the repairs in an appropriate timeframe.

In most repair orders, VCAT gives you a ‘right to renew’. This means you can take the park or caravan owner back to VCAT if they don’t follow the order, without having to make another application.

While you may feel stressed about the hearing, VCAT is less formal than a court and you can get help from Tenants Victoria and other organisations. Find out more on this page about getting help.

For more on preparing for VCAT and attending the hearing, see our page about dealing with VCAT.

You can also watch our step-by-step video on going to VCAT.

Keep paying rent

If the park or caravan owner doesn’t arrange the repairs, do not stop paying rent and do not use your rent money to pay for the repairs. If you do not pay rent or hiring charges, the park or caravan owner could give you a notice to vacate for overdue rent, which could lead to you being evicted.

If you don’t want the park or caravan owner to get any rent or hiring charges from you until the repairs are done, you can ask VCAT if you can pay the money to Consumer Affairs Victoria instead. Your money goes into the Rent Special Account until the repairs are completed or VCAT is satisfied the repairs will be completed. You can request this on any repairs application to VCAT, or if you are renewing a repairs application to VCAT.

If you need support in dealing with repairs and maintenance, help is available.

There are step-by-step guides, self-help tools and other resources to assist you with repairs and maintenance.

The Residential Tenancies Act 1997 is Victoria’s main law for renting. It describes the rights and duties of renters and landlords (like park and caravan owners) in numbered sections.

The sections in this list relate to repairs and maintenance in caravan parks. Click on a link to see the section in the Act.

• Section 145E – Information that must be given before entering into an agreement
• Section 148 – Condition report
• Section 159 – Rent must be reduced if services are reduced
• Section 164 – Owner’s responsibility for charges for non-complying appliances
• Section 171A – Resident must keep caravan in good repair
• Section 171B – Resident must not make modifications without consent
• Section 173 – Resident must notify and compensate for damage
• Section 176 – Caravan park owner must provide access
• Section 177 – Quiet enjoyment – caravan park owner’s duty
• Section 178 – Caravan park owner must keep park clean and safe
• Section 178A – Caravan park owner must maintain site in good repair
• Section 179 – Duty of caravan park owner to maintain communal areas
• Section 180 – Maintenance and repair of caravans
• Section 180A – Park and caravan owner’s liability for excessive usage caused by faults
• Section 180B – Application to VCAT about excessive usage charges
• Section 181 – Owner must ensure appliances with an efficiency rating system installed
• Section 184 – Owner to give additional information
• Section 188 – Urgent repairs to caravans
• Section 188A – Urgent site repairs
• Section 189 – Application to VCAT for urgent caravan repairs
• Section 189A – Application to VCAT for urgent site repairs
• Section 190 – Application to CAV to investigate non‑urgent caravan repairs
• Section 190A – Application to CAV to investigate non‑urgent site repairs
• Section 191 – Application to VCAT for non-urgent caravan repairs
• Section 191A – Application to VCAT for non-urgent site repairs
• Section 193 – Application to VCAT to use VCAT’s rent special account
• Section 208 – Breach of duty notice
• Section 209 – Application for compensation or compliance order for breach of duty

The Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021 provide more detail and definitions, and specify updates to the Residential Tenancies Act.

The Residential Tenancies (Caravan Parks and Movable Dwellings Registration and Standards) Regulations 2024 set out the requirements and standards of structures, facilities and services in caravan parks.