Navigating Property Maintenance as a New Landlord

Navigating property maintenance as a new landlord can sometimes feel confusing. Who handles repairs? What should the tenant take care of? How quickly do you need to deal with maintenance issues?

Understanding these responsibilities from the beginning can help protect your investment. It can also prevent small maintenance issues from becoming expensive repairs and create a smoother tenancy for everyone involved.

What Are Landlords Responsible For?

As a landlord in Western Australia, you need to keep your rental property in a reasonable state of repair. You must also ensure it meets the required building, health and safety standards.

General Property Maintenance

Landlords need to maintain the property and its fixtures, fittings and services throughout the tenancy.

This includes dealing with problems involving plumbing, electrical systems, roofing and other areas of the property.

Acting quickly can prevent a small problem from becoming an expensive one. For example, a minor water leak can eventually damage cabinetry, flooring or walls if you leave it too long.

Safety and Compliance

Rental properties must meet Western Australian safety requirements. These include requirements relating to smoke alarms, RCDs, security and other applicable safety standards.

Landlords shouldn’t assume their property remains compliant simply because nothing has gone wrong. Regular checks help you keep on top of your obligations and protect your investment.

Urgent Repairs

Some maintenance issues require much faster action than others.

In Western Australia, landlords must arrange repairs to essential services within 24 hours of receiving notice of the problem. Essential services include electricity, gas, water, hot water and sewerage.

Landlords must generally arrange other urgent repairs within 48 hours. These may include problems that could cause injury, damage the property or cause the tenant undue hardship or inconvenience.

Having a clear process for urgent maintenance is important, particularly when problems occur outside normal business hours.

Fixtures, Fittings and Appliances

Landlords generally need to maintain the fixtures, fittings and services they provide as part of the tenancy. These may include air conditioning, ovens and stovetops.

Regular maintenance can help extend the life of these items. It can also identify problems before an appliance or fixture needs replacing.

What Are Tenants Responsible For?

Tenants also have responsibilities when it comes to looking after a rental property.

Keeping the Property Reasonably Clean

Tenants need to keep the property reasonably clean and take care of the home throughout their tenancy.

They should also take reasonable steps to prevent problems caused by the way they use the property.

Reporting Maintenance Promptly

One of the most important things tenants can do is report maintenance and damage as soon as they notice it.

For example, a tenant who reports a small leak under the kitchen sink gives the landlord an opportunity to fix it early. If the leak continues, it could eventually damage the cabinetry or flooring.

This is one of the reasons we believe good communication with tenants plays such an important role in property management.

Tenant-Caused Damage

Tenants will need to pay for damage caused by themselves, their guests or their pets.

This differs from deterioration that occurs through normal use of the property over time.

Understanding Fair Wear and Tear vs Damage

One area that can cause confusion when navigating property maintenance as a new landlord is the difference between fair wear and tear and tenant-caused damage.

Fair wear and tear refers to the natural deterioration of a property through normal use. Examples may include faded paint, ageing floor coverings or the gradual deterioration of fixtures.

Tenant-caused damage is different. Examples may include a broken window caused by the tenant or significant damage to walls. Tenants may also become responsible for damage if they fail to take reasonable care of the property.

Detailed property condition reports and routine inspections play an important role here. They provide a record of the property’s condition and help identify changes throughout the tenancy.

Why Routine Inspections Matter

Routine inspections aren’t simply about checking whether tenants keep the property clean and tidy.

A thorough inspection also looks for signs of maintenance, deterioration or damage.

Small cracks, deteriorating grout, moisture, leaking taps or changes to gardens can all indicate a developing problem.

Identifying these issues early gives landlords the opportunity to act. This can prevent a relatively minor maintenance issue from becoming a much larger expense.

Good Communication Helps Prevent Bigger Problems

Good communication between the tenant, property manager and landlord can make a significant difference when dealing with maintenance.

Tenants should feel comfortable reporting problems when they first notice them. This allows the property manager and landlord to deal with issues before they become more serious.

Landlords also need confidence that their property manager will assess maintenance requests properly. A good property manager should engage appropriate tradespeople, keep the landlord informed and consider costs before approving non-urgent work.

Effective property management brings these responsibilities together. It ensures genuine maintenance receives attention while also protecting the landlord’s interests.

Protecting Your Investment Through Proactive Maintenance

Property maintenance is an unavoidable part of owning an investment property. However, the way you manage it can have a significant impact on your long-term costs.

Acting quickly, carrying out regular inspections and keeping accurate records can help protect the condition and value of your property. These steps can also reduce the risk of unexpected repair bills.

For new landlords, having clear processes in place from the beginning can make owning an investment property much more straightforward.

At Property West, we take a proactive approach to maintenance. We keep our landlords informed, address problems early and make sure someone keeps a close eye on their investment.