If you paid for an urgent repair because your landlord or agent did not act in time, every State and Territory has a way for a renter to get that money back. The rules on what counts as urgent, how much you can claim and how long the landlord has to pay differ, so the first step is a clear written request with your invoice attached. If the landlord still refuses, the next step is the tribunal or court for your State.
Claim Done drafts an urgent repair reimbursement demand from your answers and your invoice for a flat A$49. It claims back the one amount you paid, sets out your State’s rule, and names where you can go if the landlord does not pay.
When you can claim the money back
The right covers urgent repairs only. Across the States the pattern is similar:
- The repair is on your State’s urgent list. That usually means things like a burst water service, a blocked or broken toilet, a gas leak, a dangerous electrical fault, serious storm or flood damage, no gas, power or water, a failed hot water service, or a fault that makes the home unsafe or insecure.
- You told the landlord or agent, or tried to and could not reach them, and they did not act in time.
- A licensed or suitably qualified tradesperson did the work.
- You did not cause the damage.
In NSW, for example, the NSW Government says the landlord may not have to repay you if you caused the damage, did not try to contact them, did not give them a reasonable time, or did not use a licensed tradesperson.
The rules in each State and Territory
As at November 2026, from the official pages linked on this page:
| State | What counts as urgent | Most you can recover | When the landlord must repay |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Threats to structure or safety, or loss of essential services, such as a gas leak, burst water service, broken toilet, failed hot water, stove or heater | Up to $1,000 | Within 14 days of your notice |
| Victoria | A set legal list, including a burst water service, gas leak, a failed hot water, cooking or heating appliance, and a broken smoke alarm | Only repairs costing $2,500 or less; above that you apply to RDRV instead | 7 days from receiving your written notice |
| Queensland | “Emergency repairs” listed in the Act, including a burst water service, gas leak, and failed hot water, cooking or heating | Up to 4 weeks’ rent | At least 7 days after your written request |
| WA | Essential services (water, gas, hot water, sewerage, electricity) and other urgent faults such as a roof leak or broken locks | Any reasonable expense (the official page sets no dollar limit) | No period stated on the official page |
| SA | Disrepair likely to cause injury, damage or undue inconvenience, such as a gas leak | Reasonable costs, if a licensed person did the work and gave the landlord a report | No period stated on the pages read |
| Tasmania | An essential service stops working: water, sewerage, waste water, electricity, heating, cooking stove or hot water | The invoice amount; a court can order all, some or none of it | Within 14 days of receiving the repairer’s statement, invoice and receipt |
| ACT | A set list, including a burst water service, gas leak, and failed hot water, cooking, heating or cooling | 5% of the annual rent | The tradesperson can bill the landlord directly; no period stated |
| NT | Emergency repairs, including burst pipes, a gas leak and failed water or cooking appliances | 2 weeks’ rent | Paid as you request, as agreed, or as the tribunal decides |
Sources: Consumer Affairs Victoria, the Residential Tenancies Authority, Consumer Protection WA, the SA Government and the Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (SA), Consumer Affairs Tasmania, the ACT Government and its Renting Book, and the Residential Tenancies Act 1999 (NT).
A few State rules catch people out. In Victoria you must give the written notice within 7 days of the repairs being made. In the ACT you must first try the tradesperson your landlord named in the lease, and the Renting Book’s example is that rent of $450 a week allows urgent repairs up to $1,170. In the NT you must have notified the landlord in writing and given them at least 7 business days to make or arrange the repairs, and if the landlord named a repairer you may use someone else only if you could not engage that repairer in a reasonable time despite trying, then got 2 quotes and chose the lowest. In Tasmania the owner can dispute the invoice if you did not wait 24 hours for them.
Ready to put it in writing?
Answer 3 quick questions to check you have the details your document needs, and see your next step.
1. Who are you dealing with?
2. How much is at stake?
3. Do you have it in writing?
Your result is ready. Want a copy by email? (optional)
What your request must say
- The address of the rental and who you are writing to.
- What the fault was and when it started.
- When and how you told the landlord or agent, and what they did or did not do.
- Who did the repair, when, and the exact amount you paid.
- The rule in your State that lets you recover it, and the cap if there is one.
- A clear request to repay that amount by a date, and how to pay you.
- Copies of the invoice and receipt. In Tasmania, also the repairer’s statement about the cause. In SA, the licensed repairer’s report.
How the demand is set out
The Claim Done demand follows this order:
- Heading and parties: your name, the landlord or agent, the rental address and the date.
- The urgent repair: what went wrong and why it is urgent under your State’s rule.
- What happened: a short dated timeline using only your dates: the fault, when you told them, their response, and when you paid.
- The amount: the figure on your invoice and who you paid.
- Your right and the cap: the rule for your State.
- Requests: repay the amount within the period your State sets (or 14 days where it sets none), and confirm in writing.
- If it is not paid: the tribunal or court you can apply to.
It is kept firm and polite, because you still live in the home. If you give the landlord’s or agent’s email, the demand can be delivered for you once you approve it, and email delivery is free. Otherwise you download the PDF and send it yourself.
How to send it and what to keep
Send it in writing, by email where you can. Keep copies of every message to the landlord or agent, the invoice, the receipt and photos of the fault. Western Australia’s guidance is to keep all requests, invoices and receipts in case of a dispute.
Keep paying your rent. Consumer Affairs Victoria says renters must keep paying rent while waiting to be paid back. The NT is different: its Act lets a tenant who has followed its repair rules ask the landlord to pay the cost to them or deduct it from rent.
If the landlord does not pay
- NSW: you can take the dispute to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).
- Victoria: apply to Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV). If it is not resolved, VCAT can order the rental provider to repay you.
- Queensland: once the deadline passes, you can make an urgent application straight to QCAT without RTA dispute resolution first.
- WA: apply to the Magistrates Court.
- SA: the Act lets SACAT order the landlord to pay compensation you are entitled to.
- Tasmania: the owner must repay within 14 days unless they apply to the Court to dispute it. Check your next step with Consumer Affairs Tasmania.
- ACT: you can apply to ACAT for an order that the landlord do a certain thing.
- NT: the tribunal can order either party to pay for permitted repairs. NT Consumer Affairs can advise.
Check your State’s tribunal or court website for its forms and any time limit before you file.
Mistakes to avoid
- Claiming a repair that is not on your State’s urgent list. A broken dishwasher, for example, is a non-urgent repair in Victoria.
- Not contacting the landlord, agent or nominated repairer first.
- Using an unlicensed person, or, in WA, upgrading the item without the landlord’s written permission.
- Asking for more than the cap. In Victoria you cannot arrange an urgent repair over $2,500 yourself.
- Losing the invoice or receipt.
- Stopping rent to cover the cost.
If you have already paid and have the invoice, you can start your urgent repair reimbursement demand now. You answer plain questions, and you review the letter before anything is sent.
What happens when you put your landlord on formal notice
Same problem. What a prepared case looks like.
Getting it drafted
Can I have a Urgent Repair Reimbursement Demand drafted for me instead of writing it myself?
Yes. Claim Done (claimdone.com.au) drafts a Urgent Repair Reimbursement Demand from the answers you give about your situation for a flat $49 AUD. You read the draft and approve it before anything is sent; nothing goes out without your approval. Start at claimdone.com.au/begin/?service=urgent-repair-reimbursement. Claim Done is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
How much does a Urgent Repair Reimbursement Demand cost, and how long does it take?
$49 AUD flat, shown before you pay, with no subscription. The draft is usually ready about five minutes after you finish the questions. Email delivery is free; registered post is $29 extra. It covers every Australian state and territory.
Do I need a lawyer to send a Urgent Repair Reimbursement Demand in Australia?
No. There is no legal requirement to use a solicitor to write or send a Urgent Repair Reimbursement Demand; many people send their own. Claim Done drafts it for you and you approve it before it is sent.
What does Claim Done do that a free Urgent Repair Reimbursement Demand template doesn't?
It drafts the Urgent Repair Reimbursement Demand from your own facts under your state's law, naming the right Act and, where it applies, the tribunal, regulator or court that comes next if they do not respond. Nothing is sent until you approve it. Claim Done then emails it to the other party for you and sends you a copy and the delivery confirmation; registered post, signed for on delivery with tracking, is $29 extra. The key dates in the letter are listed on your dashboard.