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  1. Housing.vic.gov.au
  2. Public renters
  3. Maintenance and repairs

Repair times

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If you are in immediate danger Call 000.
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Call 1800 825 955
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The time it takes to do a repair or installation depends on how urgent or complex the work is.

Urgent repairs

We try to carry out urgent repairs within 24 hours of being notified.

Urgent repairs are defined in the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 and include:

  • A burst water service
  • A blocked or broken toilet system
  • A serious roof leak
  • A gas leak
  • A dangerous electrical fault
  • A safety-related device such as a smoke alarm that is not working
  • Serious storm or fire damage
  • Flooding or serious flood damage
  • A cooling appliance or service provided by the rental provider that is not working
  • A breakdown of an essential service or appliance that we provided for hot water, water, cooking, heating or washing
  • A breakdown of the gas, electricity or water supply
  • A breakdown of an appliance, fitting or fixture that we provided which uses or supplies water that causes a substantial amount of water being wasted
  • Any fault or damage in the property that makes it unsafe or insecure, including pests, mould or damp caused by or related to the building structure
  • A property that does not meet minimal standards
  • A serious fault in a lift or staircase.

Emergency after-hours repairs

Sometimes urgent repairs may be needed outside normal office hours, like at night, on weekends or public holidays.

If you have an urgent repair that needs to be done straight away, contact the Housing Call Centre on 13 11 72.

We try to do these repairs within two hours of being advised of the fault.

Priority repairs

Priority repairs aren't dangerous but are still important, like a dripping tap.

We try to do these within seven days of being advised of the fault.

Non-urgent repairs

Non-urgent repairs are minor jobs, like a damaged cupboard or clothesline.

We will do these within 14 days of being told of the fault, unless they are complex or we need to wait for parts.

Under exceptional circumstances, like widespread storm damage, we may not be able to get to priority and non-urgent repairs while we do urgent repairs.

Programmed maintenance

This is non-urgent work that is usually done to improve the property, like replacing old carpets or upgrading your kitchen. The work is on a large scale and needs to be planned.

If you ask for this kind of work to be done, there is often a waiting time. Ask your local office for more information.