How to keep myself & children safe in the home

In Victoria a renter can install any of the following items without permission from their landlord:

• a wireless doorbell
• adhesive child safety locks on drawers and doors
• pressure mounted child safety gates
• a lock on a letterbox

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Urgent repairs to make your home safe

Any  fault or damage which makes your home unsafe or insecure needs an ‘urgent repair’. These may include:

• problems with water services, electricity, sewers and gas leaks
• broken air conditioner or safety device, such as a smoke alarm
• pest infestations, mould or damp caused by the structure of the building.

If your rental provider refuses to make urgent repairs, you can get them fixed if they do not cost more than $2500. You must pay for these repairs. Make sure you keep the receipt. To get the money refunded from your rental provider or agent, send them a ‘Notice to rental provider of rented premises’ form on the Consumer Affairs Victoria website. They then have seven days to pay you.

If you cannot pay for urgent repairs, and your rental provider refuses to fix them, you can apply to the tribunal. The tribunal can order your rental provider to make the urgent repairs. Applications for urgent repairs must be heard by the tribunal within two days.

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