During a tenancy Easy English Factsheet

Renting - During a tenancy

Easy English fact sheet

2025

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this fact sheet.

A friend, family member or support person can 
help you.


What is a tenancy?

When you rent a home it is called a 
tenancy. You sign a lease.

Rent is the money you have to pay to 
live in the home.

A tenancy is the time you rent a home.
For example, 12 months.

A lease is a contract. A lease says

• you have rented the home
• how long you will rent the home for
• other rules you must follow.

What is a landlord or agent?

• A landlord owns the home you rent
• An agent
  • looks after the home while 
    you rent it
  • works for a real estate company.


What you need to do

When you are renting a home you must

• pay your rent on time
• keep the home clean
• tell the landlord if something needs
  to be fixed.

You must not

• paint or change the house
• break or destroy anything in the house
• make problems for your neighbours.

What the landlord or agent can do

The landlord or agent can go into your home.

The landlord or agent must write you a 
letter to say

• when they will go into your home

  and

• why they will go into your home.

When will the landlord tell me?

The landlord or agent must tell you 24 hours or 
more before they go into your home.

For example, if the landlord or agent wants to go 
into your home on Friday at 3pm, he must

• write you a letter
• make sure you get the letter before 
  Thursday 3pm.

The letter must say the reason the landlord or 
agent will go into your home.

Why will the landlord come into my home?

There are 7 reasons why the landlord or agent 
can go into your home. For example, to do a 6 
month check to see if the home is okay.

For information about the other reasons, 
call Consumer Protection WA 
Phone 1300 30 40 54


What is an urgent repair?

An urgent repair needs to be fixed right away.

For example,

• broken toilet
• broken water pipe
• gas leak
• roof leak.

If an urgent repair is not fixed, the home
might be unsafe or hard to live in.

Call your landlord or agent if you need an 
urgent repair.

What if the landlord does not call me back 
or does not fix it?

You can pay for the repair yourself.

The repair must cost less than $1,800.

You must

• keep the receipt
• give the receipt to the landlord.

Write to the landlord. Ask for the money back. 
This is called a Notice to Landlord.

The landlord must give you the money back 
in the next 2 weeks.

Problems getting an urgent repair fixed

What if the landlord will not pay for an

• urgent repair

  and

• you can not pay?

Consumer Protection WA 
Phone 1300 30 40 54


What is a non-urgent repair?

A non-urgent repair does not need to be fixed 
right away. For example,

• broken dishwasher
• dripping tap.

A non-urgent repair should be fixed in less 
than 2 weeks.

You must

• write to the landlord
• explain the problem.


You can send the landlord

• a letter

  or

• an email

  or

• a Notice to Landlord.


Remember

• The landlord or agent must tell you 
  24 hours or more before they visit your home.
• An urgent repair must be fixed right away.
• A non-urgent repair should be fixed in less
  than 2 weeks.

More information or help
about renting

Consumer Protection WA 
Phone 1300 30 40 54


Consumer Protection WA
More fact sheets 
and information

List of fact sheets in Easy English

• Buying Furniture
• Contracts
• Lay-by
• Phone and door to door sales
• Renting - starting a tenancy
• Renting - during a tenancy
• Renting - ending a tenancy
• Refunds, replacements and repairs
• Scams
• Services
• Shopping tips


Phone 1300 30 40 54

Mail Locked Bag 100
East Perth WA 6892

Interpreter 131 450

National Relay Service 133 677

Email consumer@demirs.wa.gov.au

Website www.consumerprotection.wa.gov.au


This information is written in Easy English. 
You might need more information about the law. 
You can ask Consumer Protection WA.

Updated February 2025.

Easy English fact sheet updated by 
Consumer Protection WA.

Look at Clear Written Communications -
The Easy English Style Guide for
information about the format and writing
style of this document.

You can find more information at
www.scopevic.org.au or
phone 03 9843 2000.


© Scope (Aust) Ltd. You may use this document for your own 
personal, non-commercial purposes only. You must not use the 
document for any other purpose, and must not copy, reproduce, 
digitise, communicate, adapt, modify the document or any part 
of it (or authorise any other person to do so) without the prior 
consent of Scope (Aust) Ltd.

Scope’s Communication and Inclusion Resource Centre 
wrote the Easy English. August 2016 www.scopevic.org.au. 
To see the original contact Consumer Affairs Victoria.

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