Landlord responsibilities

Maintaining suitable insurance for your property is a landlord responsibility.

We are not licensed to provide advice on insurance. Landlords must maintain suitable insurance for their properties for the duration of the lease.

To ensure you have the appropriate insurance in place and your policy is up-to-date, you should speak to a licensed insurance broker or provider.

Properties in strata or community title schemes

A body corporate may maintain insurance for property in strata or community title schemes. If your property is within a strata community title scheme, you should confirm what insurance is in place with the body corporate or strata manager.

Making a claim

If an incident occurs at the property which is may be claimable, we will contact you to seek your instructions. We will facilitate access for any necessary inspections or repair work.

If your building is new or near new then you may have warranties for your property. These warranty periods vary by state and territory.

You are responsible for warranties relating to the construction of your property, including pest protection. When these warranties expire you will be unable to claim against them.

To protect your investment, familiarise yourself with warranties for your property and their terms and conditions. If a qualified tradesman needs to inspect the property to maintain the warranty, contact us and we will facilitate access to the property. You are responsible for addressing any issues found in your property with the warranty provider.

In the event of a fault, If we have the correct warranty details on file, we will attempt to notify the appropriate party of the fault to arrange repairs accordingly. This includes building defects.

If there are any issues with the warranty, including rejection of liability for the repairs or concerns with the manner of the repairs that have been carried out, we will contact you to advise and seek your involvement with obtaining resolution.

In these instances, we will be unable to act on your behalf as the warranties are rights specific to property owners.

Pests, including termites, can cause significant damage to your property. There are no guarantees when it comes to pests, but effective management could save you money.

The cost of preventing and treating pest infestation is your responsibility. So are any repairs to damage caused by pests. You should consider regular pest inspections to help protect your property.

You can arrange your pest inspections. If you do, you must contact us and we will facilitate the inspection with your nominated contractor and the occupant.

Alternatively, we can manage regular pest inspections on your behalf through our scheduling service. If you elect to use this service, we will arrange for a contractor to carry out the inspections. You will be responsible for the cost of the inspection. The cost may vary and could change without notice.

You can access the inspection report in Online Services. The report may show that your property requires barrier replenishment, treatment or repair. The cost of treatment or repair is your responsibility. If agreed in writing, we can seek a quote on your behalf from a registered contractor.

Our service does not cover:

• any treatment for pests on your property, including termites
• repair of damage caused by pest infestation
• replenishment of barriers.

Barriers and replenishments

Some properties rely on chemical termite barriers which act to prevent termite infestation. These barriers need regular replenishment. It is your responsibility to ensure the barrier is replenished as necessary. Contact us to see if your property relies on a chemical barrier.

Warranties

DHA is not responsible for maintaining your warranty for pest protection. We suggest you familiarise yourself with any warranties associated with your property as they may specify the frequency, nature of inspection and inspection company required to maintain the product.

If you own strata or community titled property, you have responsibilities.

• Stay informed of strata scheme or community titled scheme issues affecting your property.
• Notify us of issues that could affect the occupants.
• Action AGM or Committee notices by voting.
• Cooperate to protect your property's interests under the lease agreement.

Send us changes or amendments to by-laws and any documents that affect the occupant. We must follow the by-laws of a strata scheme.

Examples of these include:

• fire safety inspections
• pest inspections
• permitting pets
• window locks installations
• breach/potential breach notices.

Send this to us at lessormanagement@dha.gov.au

If you purchased your property from DHA, the strata manager details should have been included as part of your settlement. You can contact your solicitor or conveyancer for these details.

Insurance

To protect your property with the appropriate insurance, you should check with the body corporate to confirm what insurance you need.

We are not licensed to provide advice on insurance. You should contact a licensed insurance broker or provider to discuss your options.

Landlord forms

• Landlord information form (PDF 514 KB)
  For landlords to provide or update their details.
• Defence Member Acknowledgement form (PDF 27 KB)
  For landlords who are defence members purchasing or leasing their properties to DHA.

Valuation Guidelines

Please refer to Property care, Rent review for detailed information on the valuation process.

Lease expiry forms 

• Appointing an Agent form (PDF - 481 KB)
  For landlords who are appointing an agent to act on their behalf at the property handback inspection.
• Lease Surrender request form (PDF - 487 KB)
  For landlords requesting DHA to consider surrendering the lease back to the landlord.