Your landlord ignored your repair demand. Apply to your state tribunal.
Every Australian Residential Tenancies Act makes maintenance the landlord's duty — and your tribunal can order the work done.
You demanded repairs and the landlord or agent ignored you, refused, or did only part of the work. Every state and territory Residential Tenancies Act requires the landlord to keep the premises in a reasonable state of repair. When they don't, you apply to your state's tribunal for a repair order.
The forum depends on your state: NCAT (NSW), VCAT (VIC), QCAT (QLD), SACAT (SA), ACAT (ACT), NTCAT (NT), the Magistrates Court (WA), or the Residential Tenancy Commissioner (TAS). The tribunal can order the landlord to carry out the repairs and, where appropriate, reduce your rent for the period of disrepair or award compensation for loss you've suffered. Fees are low and the forums are designed for self-represented tenants.
For urgent repairs — no hot water, a gas leak, a serious safety fault — most states have a faster process that may even let you arrange the repair yourself up to a limit. Do not withhold rent to force repairs; the rules on rent are strict and vary by state. Apply to the tribunal instead.
Legal mechanisms now in play
- State Residential Tenancies Act — non-excludable landlord duty to maintain the premises
- Tribunal repair order requiring the work to be done
- Rent reduction for the period of disrepair, or compensation for loss/expense
- Faster urgent-repairs process in every state for serious faults
- Low fees; forums designed for self-represented tenants
Rental Repairs Tribunal Application
Builds a structured application narrative tailored to your state/territory tribunal and Residential Tenancies Act: the disrepair, the landlord's duty, your stage-1 demand and the response, the facts and impact, and the orders sought — a repair order, rent reduction, or compensation — with an evidence checklist.
$19.00 ($9.00 if you bought our earlier letter — apply via the receipt URL or QR code in your first letter's PDF)
Start the Rental Repairs Tribunal Application →Frequently asked
Can I stop paying rent until the repairs are done?
No — withholding rent can put your tenancy at risk, and the rules vary by state. The right move is to apply to your state tribunal for a repair order. The tribunal can also reduce your rent for the disrepair period, but that's its decision, not a self-help step.
What about urgent repairs?
Every state and territory has a faster urgent-repairs process for things like no hot water, a gas leak, or a serious safety fault — and many let you arrange the repair yourself up to a set limit if the landlord doesn't act. Check your state tenancy authority for the exact rule.
Which tribunal handles repairs?
Your state's: NCAT (NSW), VCAT (VIC), QCAT (QLD), SACAT (SA), ACAT (ACT), NTCAT (NT), the Magistrates Court (WA), or the Residential Tenancy Commissioner (TAS). The application selects the right forum based on your state.
What can the tribunal order?
A repair order requiring the landlord to do the work, and — where appropriate — a reduction in your rent for the period the place was in disrepair, or compensation for any loss or expense you've suffered.
How much does the next-step application cost?
$19 standalone, or $9 if you bought our original Australian rental-repairs demand — your receipt URL or QR code applies the discount automatically.