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I have been in our current rented apartment for 5 years on an annual lease. We are paying $5,000 per month rental.
Over the last 5 years our total rent is slightly less than $300,000 total.
In that time certain furnishings and carpet have deteriorated with normal wear and tear. Three pair of aluminium sliding doors to balcony are also very old and increasingly difficult to move – the accompanying fly wire screen doors are currently held together with rivets.
To be fair the owners have renewed a dishwasher.
What rights if any, do we have as tenants for refurbishing of ageing and tired doors, carpet screens etc?
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It’s basically a free market out there when it comes to renting an apartment. You’ve got certain rights if there is something which is not maintained in working condition, and part or all of the unit becomes uninhabitable.
The owner has to consider at what point renovations are needed to attract a tenant who will look after the property and pay a commensurate rental amount. If the property is run down then exisiting tenants are likely to move on and seek a better quality property.
You seem to be implying that what you’re getting is not fair value for the rent you’re paying ($5000 per month would be well above the average!) so perhaps you should be letting the owner know you aren’t happy with the deteriorating condition of the unit and try to negotiate either a refreshment of the place or a rental reduction.
@GraemeLG said:
I have been in our current rented apartment for 5 years on an annual lease. We are paying $5,000 per month rental.Over the last 5 years our total rent is slightly less than $300,000 total.
In that time certain furnishings and carpet have deteriorated with normal wear and tear. Three pair of aluminium sliding doors to balcony are also very old and increasingly difficult to move – the accompanying fly wire screen doors are currently held together with rivets.
To be fair the owners have renewed a dishwasher.
What rights if any, do we have as tenants for refurbishing of ageing and tired doors, carpet screens etc?
@GraemeLG said:
Three pair of aluminium sliding doors to balcony are also very old and increasingly difficult to move – the accompanying fly wire screen doors are currently held together with rivets.The irony here is that there’s a very good chance that those doors are common property and the owner could have them fixed at the Owners Corp’s expense.
Your problem is that if you insist on the repairs, the owner might want to put the rent up. But you are paying top dollar anyway so they should be glad that you want to stick around.
Talk to them and try to reach an amicable solution.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
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