QUESTION: A year or so ago I did some work on my rented apartment – including painting, installing shelves and some basic maintenance – in lieu of a few weeks rent.
My landlord has changed agents and the new guy has inspected the place and says it’s worth a lot more in rental (now that it looks good) and he wants to put the rent up.
I reckon it wouldn’t be worth more if it wasn’t for me. He says the landlord “paid” for the work by letting me off my rent and it doesn’t matter who did it. Can he really put the rent up? I think the work I did was worth more than the rent I didn’t pay – Upgraded, Jannali.
ANSWER: Your landlord can put the rent up provided he follows the correct procedure which includes giving you appropriate notice and not raising it by an excessive amount.
What’s excessive? You could ask the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal and they might even consider whether or not the work you did was worth more than the “rent holiday” that you received.
Or you could find a compromise so that both your landlord and you are happy. How about trying a mediation at a Community Justice Centre (www.cjc.nsw.gov.au)? It’s free and it could save you time, hassle and a few dollars.
Failing that, get in touch with TenantsNSW (www.tenants.org.au) and ask them what the next step would be.