WA Urgent Repairs: Landlord Obligations and the 24/48-Hour Rules

The Residential Tenancies Act 1987 doesn't just say "fix it promptly." Sections 43 and 44 set specific timeframes that start ticking the moment a tenant notifies you of a fault — and if you miss them, the tenant has legal options that cost you more.

Essential Services: 24 Hours to Arrange a Repairer

The most critical category. When any of these fail completely, you must arrange for a qualified repairer within 24 hours of receiving notification:

• Electricity supply — total power loss or dangerous electrical faults
• Gas supply — gas leaks or complete supply failure
• Water supply — burst pipes or loss of running water
• Hot water systems — complete breakdown
• Sewerage — blocked or overflowing sewerage
• Supplied refrigerator — if the fridge was provided as part of the tenancy

The 24-hour deadline means you must have confirmed a licensed tradesperson's booking within that window. It doesn't mean the repair itself must be finished in 24 hours — if parts need ordering, that's understood — but the trade must be arranged and the tenant told when to expect the visit.

Other Urgent Repairs: 48 Hours

Repairs that aren't essential services but pose immediate risks to health, safety, or security get a 48-hour response window. These include:

• Severe roof leaks causing water ingress
• Broken exterior door locks or compromised windows
• Unsafe structural components (damaged balcony railings, collapsed ceilings)
• Storm or fire damage affecting security or habitability

Non-Urgent Repairs: Reasonable Timeframe

Everything else — dripping taps, sticking doors, cosmetic plaster cracks, broken non-essential appliances — must be fixed within a "reasonable timeframe." There's no legislated number of days, but tenants must submit non-urgent requests in writing, and ignoring them for months is exactly the kind of conduct that ends up at the Magistrates Court.

What Happens If You Miss the Deadline

This is the part that matters. Under the RTA, if you fail to arrange a repairer within the prescribed timeframe:

1. The tenant can hire a qualified repairer directly
2. The tenant pays for the work
3. You are legally bound to reimburse the tenant for reasonable, itemised trade costs upon invoice submission

The tenant doesn't need Magistrates Court approval before engaging the trade. They just need evidence that they notified you, the deadline passed, and the work was necessary and reasonably priced.

If a tenant goes this route and you refuse to reimburse, they can apply to the Magistrates Court using Form 12 for an order compelling payment — plus the $86 court filing fee.

Protecting Yourself

Three things that prevent most repair disputes from escalating:

1. Written acknowledgement — when a tenant reports a fault, respond in writing within hours confirming you've received it and stating when the trade is booked
2. Licensed trades only — all electrical, gas, and plumbing work must be done by licensed contractors; unlicensed work creates further compliance issues
3. Keep every invoice — with the contractor's name, licence number, date, and description of work completed

The 24-hour and 48-hour windows apply to arranging, not completing. But if you can't even get a booking confirmed in that window — particularly in regional WA where trade availability is limited — document every call and attempt. Evidence that you tried matters in a Magistrates Court assessment.

For structured repair response templates and the complete triage system, get the WA landlord compliance guide.

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