Maintenance

Before reporting maintenance to AHV, some simple checks:

If you have an electrical supply issue: 

• If multiple lights/power points are not working - check your circuit board. The switches should all be in the same position.
• If your power has gone out after you switched on an appliance - this might mean that the appliance is overloading the circuit or that the appliance is faulty, and needs to be repaired.  
• If you have sparking power points or lights - turn off the appropriate switch on the circuit board, ensure area and people are safe from harm.

If you have a water supply issue:

• If you have no water – please check to see if you have received a disruption notice from your water company. 
• If you have a severe water leak - please turn the water off at the stop tap. The stop tap is located at base of sinks in kitchens, bathrooms and laundries. 
• If you have a burst pipe – turn off water mains located at the front or side of your house to prevent extra water costs. 
• If you have no hot water – check your pilot light. 

If you have a gas supply issue:

• If you think you may have a gas leak - turn off the gas meter.
• If you have no gas – check that your gas meter is on, and check to see if you have received a notice advising of an interruption to your service. 

Call 132 500 from anywhere in Victoria for flood, storm, tsunami and earthquake emergency.

For life-threatening emergencies call Triple Zero (000).

When making a maintenance request, tenants are responsible for:

• Reporting maintenance issues as soon as possible.
• Reporting unsatisfactory repairs.
• Being available for contractors to access the property.
• Updating their contact details with AHV. 

In the home, it is a tenants responsibility to maintain their garden and remove any rubbish. If required, the tenant can engage services. Alternatively, AHV can provide a service at a charge to the tenant.

When a tenant makes a request, the issue will be classified as either normal, priority or urgent.

Once a work order has been raised by the Client Services Team, and received by the sub-contractor:

• Urgent works will be attended within 24 hours. 
• Priority works will be attended within one week.
• Normal works will be completed within 1-14 days.

Tenants, landlords and agents must follow set procedures when dealing with urgent and non-urgent repairs. Tenants must continue to pay rent even while waiting for repairs. If the matter has been heard by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), you can apply for rent to be paid into VCAT’s Rent Special Account until the matter is resolved.

Urgent repairs are defined as required to protect tenant health and safety, or to maintain essential services. The following issues are considered urgent repair requests:

• burst water service
• blocked or broken toilet system
• serious roof leak
• gas leak
• dangerous electrical fault
• flooding or serious flood damage
• serious storm or fire damage
• a serious fault in a staircase.
• failure or breakdown of gas, electricity or water supply
• any broken appliance, fitting or fixture that causes a substantial amount of water to be wasted
• failure or breakdown of any essential service or appliance provided by your landlord or agent for hot water, cooking, heating or laundering

Not all issues can be described over the phone. Some times our staff will need to inspect and take photos. In these cases, the Client Services Team may request a maintenance inspection be done by an AHV staff member. You will be notified by phone if AHV wishes to arrange an inspection.

All AHV staff members carry identification with their name, photo and AHV logo.

When a work order is raised with a sub-contractor, AHV will request that they contact you prior to attending your property.

In cases where the contractor has been unable to get in contact with you, they may attend and leave a calling card. If a calling card is left at your property, please call the number on the card to get in contact with them directly. You can then arrange an alternative time for them to attend your property.

If the contractor attends your property twice and is unable to complete the maintenance, they will request that your work order be cancelled. You will need to contact AHV and arrange for another work order to be raised, and a new timeframe will be set.

If a tenant, property occupant or visitor has caused property damage landlords can ask tenants to arrange and pay for repairs.

If there is accidental damage an AHV staff member may visit the property to assess damage prior to arranging repairs. AHV will discuss repayment options with the tenant.

Tenant Responsibility Maintenance Compensation (TRMCs) are the full cost of repairs for damage to property that has been caused by the tenant.

Depending on your property and the items you wish to install, this might be possible. Please contact your Housing Officer to discuss your eligibility and details.

AHV plan our property improvement projects. These types of works include replacing carpets or painting properties. AHV identify properties for upgrades in our maintenance planning. Contact AHV is you want to make a request. Please note, these projects are not part of our regular maintenance.

For fences, AHV will organise an assessment of your fence to determine if minor repairs can fix the issue or if a full fence replacement is necessary. If a fence replacement is required and the property is owned by AHV, AHV will request that the tenant sources three quotes and will discuss the costs with the neighbouring property.