Get ready for summer

Summer has arrived, so now is a good time to make sure your home is ready for hot weather, both for your comfort and to reduce risks during the bushfire season.

If your rental home has air-conditioning, this is the time to check if it is working properly. If it is faulty report it to the rental provider (landlord) as soon as possible.

Anything provided by the rental provider in your home must be maintained, and repaired if necessary.

Air-conditioning is an urgent repair under Victoria’s rental laws, and urgent repairs need to be done as soon as possible.

For details on reporting urgent repairs see our page Repairs and maintenance.

Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) has guidelines on what rental providers need to do to ensure your rental home is maintained in good repair. These guidelines include outdoor maintenance, such as:

• Clearing gutters
• Major pruning and removal of trees, shrubs, and plants
• Maintaining water tanks, if present

If maintenance for any of these things is required report it to the rental provider as soon as possible. For details on reporting repairs see our page Repairs and maintenance.

For more information on the CAV guidelines see our page Consumer Affairs Victoria guidelines.

In addition to making sure your rented home is in good repair, rental providers have duties related to safety. These include maintaining water tanks at properties in bushfire-prone areas.

If your rental home is in a bushfire-prone area and requires a water tank for firefighting, the rental provider must make sure:

• The tank is full and clean at the start of your rental agreement
• The tank and its connections are in good repair

You should report issues with any water tanks for firefighting to the rental provider as soon as possible.

Anything making a property unsafe is an urgent repair under Victoria’s rental laws, and urgent repairs need to be done as soon as possible.

For details on reporting urgent repairs see our page Repairs and maintenance.

For more information on rental providers’ safety duties see our page Safety requirements.

Note: This information is a guide and should not be used as a substitute for professional legal advice.