Rooming houses: a guide for residents and operators - NWHN

Urgent repairsUrgent repairs are:• a burst water service• a blocked or broken toilet system• 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 essentialservice or appliance relating to water,cooking, heating or washing clothes• a failure or breakdown of the gas,electricity or water supply• any fault or damage that makes therooming house unsafe or insecure• an appliance, fitting or fixture that isnot working properly and causes a lotof water to be wasted• a serious fault in a lift or staircase.Steps a resident cantake to have an urgentitem repaired:• Advise the operatoras soon as possible, who mustrespond immediately.• If the resident reasonablybelieves the repair is urgent andthey are not getting a promptresponse from the operator, theresident can authorise the repairfor an amount of up to $1800(from 1 September 2011).• The resident can then givethe operator a notice asking thatthey pay them back forthe cost of the urgent repairs.The operator has 14 daysto pay from the date theyreceive the notice.• If the operator does notcomplete the urgent repairsand the resident cannot affordto pay for them and if they aregoing to cost more than $1800,the resident may apply to VCAT,which will hear the matterwithin two business days. VCATcan then order the operator toarrange and pay for the repairs.23