Your Rights And Responsibilities As A Tenant In Adelaide

Are you planning to rent a home in the beautiful city of Adelaide in South Australia? Before you start your rental process, you should be aware of your various rights and responsibilities as a tenant in Adelaide so that you can follow all the rules. Tenants in South Australia are governed by the Residential Tenancies Act 1995, which lays down the landlord’s and tenants’ obligations and rights. To help you understand this Act, here is a brief description of all your rights and duties as a tenant:

Tenant Rights

1. Lease Agreement You and your landlord will sign a lease agreement at the beginning of your tenancy that will state all the details about your rent, how to pay it and when you have to pay it.

This lease agreement is generally fixed for a specific time period, like 12 months; thus, you have the right to occupancy as long as you do not breach any part of the lease agreement.

Your landlord is also obligated to give you a property condition report with your lease agreement to show you how the premises look.

At the end of the tenancy, you must make sure your house is as well-maintained as in the report to get your bond back.

2. Habitable Living When renting a home in Adelaide, you must ensure it meets the minimum standards under the Housing Improvements Regulations 2017. If you find that the house is too dirty and damaged, does not have proper utilities and is not safe and secure, you can tell your landlord to fix these conditions. Suppose your landlord does not fix these problems by hiring professional cleaners who offer cheap end of lease cleaning in Adelaide, plumbers, and locksmiths. In that case, you can report the home to the Housing Safety Authority, which will declare the property substandard. 3. Vacant Occupation When you sign a lease agreement and move into your new home, you have the right to vacant possession of the home. This means that unless it is a shared accommodation, you should have complete access to the home, and no one else should live there. In shared accommodation, the landlord must specify which part of the home and which rooms belong to you and which parts must be shared with others. 4. Privacy As a tenant, you have the right to privacy in your new home and can deny entry to anyone if needed. You can even stop your landlord, agents, and employees from entering your premises without your consent. According to section 72 of the Residential Tenancy Act, your landlord can only enter your apartment if there is a danger to the property or a person in the vicinity. Your landlord can also enter your home to inspect the premises once every four weeks, but they must give you at least seven days advance written notice. Now that you know your rights as a tenant, you should also see what kind of responsibilities you will have.

Tenancy Responsibilities

1. Maintain The Cleanliness As a tenant, you must keep your new home clean and free of germs and bacteria. Make sure you regularly clean and dust your home to maintain its standards so that if your landlord comes to inspect it, the premises are always in a good state. If you need more time to clean your home, you can always hire bond cleaning experts in Adelaide who will deep clean your home and make it easy for you to maintain. 2. Stick to the Conditional Report When you end your tenancy, you must make sure the home matches the conditional report the landlord gave you. This is important because it will help you get back the bond amount you gave at the beginning of your tenancy. This bond is generally around four weeks’ rent in Adelaide if your rent is $250 per week and is six weeks’ rent if your rent is more than $250. If you want to keep this bond amount, you should hire bond-cleaning experts in Adelaide at the end of your tenancy to make your home look as good as new. 3. Pay Rent On Time One of your primary responsibilities as a tenant is to pay your rent on time and as specified in the lease agreement. If you have a fixed-term agreement, your landlord cannot raise your rent unless it is given in the agreement. If your landlord is increasing your rent, they must notify you in writing at least 60 days in advance. If you feel the rent increase is too much, you can file a complaint with the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT). The tribunal will look at your report, and if they agree with you, they will fix the rent for up to a year. 4. Inform The Landlord About Repairs If you find any damages in your new property, you must inform your landlord immediately so that they can start the repair work. You must inform your landlord in time, or else you will have to pay a part of the cost of repairing the premises due to the delay. You will also have to pay for repair work in your home if you have caused the damage after moving in. You must make sure you complete all repair work before moving out to get your bond money back.

Conclusion

As a tenant in Adelaide, knowing all your rights and duties to live peacefully is essential. You can hire bond cleaners in Adelaide to help maintain cleanliness, get all repair work done and pay your rent on time. And you will also get the right to vacant occupation and privacy in your new home to enjoy your stay in this beautiful city.