Landlord Plumbing Responsibility in the ACT: Who Pays for Repairs?

The landlord pays. ACT tenancy law calls them the lessor, and under the standard residential tenancy terms attached to the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 the lessor must maintain the premises in a reasonable state of repair, having regard to their condition at the start of the tenancy. The tenant's job is to tell them a repair is needed. There is one clear exception: the lessor is not obliged to repair damage caused by the negligence or wilful act of the tenant.

Most disputes I get called into are not really about the law. They are about which of those two the blockage or the leak actually was, and nobody wrote down what was found on the day.

What counts as an urgent repair in the ACT?

The standard terms set out a list, and it is worth knowing because it changes the timeframe. The plumbing and gas items on it are a burst water service, a blocked or broken lavatory system, a serious roof leak, a gas leak, flooding or serious flood damage, a failure of water supply to the premises, and a failure or breakdown of any service essential for hot water, cooking, heating, cooling or laundering. The list also picks up any fault or damage that makes the place unsafe or insecure, or that is likely to cause injury to a person or property.

So no hot water in a Canberra July is an urgent repair, not a maintenance request. A single blocked toilet in a one-bathroom house is urgent. A tap that drips is not.

How quickly does the landlord have to fix it?

For urgent repairs the standard terms require the lessor to carry them out as soon as necessary, having regard to the nature of the problem. There is no fixed hour count in the ACT, and that wording is deliberate: water pouring through a ceiling is a today job, a failed laundry appliance is not. The tenant has to notify the need for urgent repairs as soon as practicable, which is another reason to report by text or email rather than a phone call nobody remembers.

For everything else the clock is explicit. Non-urgent repairs must be made within 4 weeks of the lessor being notified, unless the lessor and tenant agree otherwise. Notification in writing is what starts that four weeks.

Can a tenant call a plumber and send the landlord the bill?

For urgent repairs, in limited circumstances, yes. This is the part of ACT tenancy law most people have never read, and it has real teeth.

If the lessor or their nominee cannot be contacted, or fails to make the urgent repairs within a reasonable time, the tenant may arrange the repairs up to a maximum value of 5 per cent of a year's rent. The work has to go to the tradesperson nominated in the tenancy agreement. If none is nominated, or that tradesperson cannot be contacted or is unavailable, the tenant can use a qualified tradesperson of their own choosing. Done that way, the lessor is liable for the cost and the plumber can bill them direct.

The sting is in the last part of the clause. A tenant who does not act in strict compliance with it is personally liable for the cost of the repairs they arranged. So if you are a tenant in that position: try the agent, try the after-hours number, keep a record of every attempt with times, and then call a licensed plumber. If you are a landlord, nominate a tradesperson in the agreement and answer the phone, because those two things keep the decision with you.

Who pays for a blocked drain in a rental?

Cause decides it, and this is where a written finding earns its money.

A CCTV drain inspection is how the argument gets settled. Footage of roots pushing through a clay joint looks nothing like a wad of wipes sitting in a bend, and once either is on camera the conversation is over in a minute. Our guide to what causes blocked drains covers the common ones, and we do blocked drain clearing with camera work across the ACT.

What if the property is a unit or apartment?

If the premises are a unit under the Unit Titles Act 2001 and the tenant's use of the place needs repairs to common property, the standard terms require the lessor to take all steps necessary to make the owners corporation do the repairs as quickly as possible. Practically, that means a leak coming from a common wall, riser or roof is still the lessor's problem to chase. The tenant does not have to deal with the owners corporation, and the lessor cannot use the owners corporation as a reason to sit on their hands.

Does the landlord need to give notice before coming to fix it?

For making or inspecting repairs, one week's written notice, unless a shorter period is agreed. For urgent repairs, the lessor must give reasonable notice and enter at a reasonable time having regard to the interests of both parties, which is how a plumber can be there the same afternoon. Outside urgent repairs and health or safety reasons, there is no entry on Sundays, on public holidays, before 8am or after 6pm without the tenant's consent.

What should a plumber's report say to be useful in a dispute?

Most invoices are useless as evidence. They say "cleared blockage, $X". A report worth having says the date and time attended, what was reported, what was found, what caused it, what was done, and what still needs doing. Add photos or CCTV stills. If the cause is the pipe rather than the person, say so plainly, and describe the pipe material and its condition. If it is a flushed item, describe the item.

That single paragraph of detail is what a property manager can forward to an owner, and what either party can put in front of the tribunal. We write ours that way as standard, for tenants and agents alike.

What if the landlord or agent does nothing?

Put the request in writing and keep the thread. If the four weeks passes on a non-urgent repair, or an urgent repair is not attended, the dispute goes to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which hears rental property disputes. The ACT Government's renting during a tenancy page sets out the repair rules in plain language, and Legal Aid ACT publishes free tenancy information. Free advice before an application is worth the phone call.

Notes for landlords and property managers

Three things reduce your repair bills more than anything else. Nominate a plumber in the tenancy agreement, so urgent work goes to someone you trust at your rates. Have the drains camera checked on any property with established trees before a tenancy starts, because a root intrusion found in October is a scheduled job and one found in January is an after-hours emergency. And treat a hot water system over ten years old in a rental as a replacement you are choosing, not one that will choose you at 6pm on a Friday. Separately, all ACT rental properties have to meet the minimum energy efficiency standards for rental homes by 30 November 2026, so if ceiling insulation is on your list, that deadline is real.

We work with tenants, owners and agents across Canberra and Queanbeyan, and we are set up for 24/7 emergency plumbing when an urgent repair lands after hours. If you manage properties in Belconnen or anywhere else in the ACT and Queanbeyan, we can be the nominated plumber on the agreement.

This page is general information about how the ACT rules work, not legal advice. For advice about your own tenancy, use the sources below or talk to a tenancy advice service.