who is responsible for replacing light globes?

Hi.

Am considering installing downlights in my future IP. But was wondering when I have a tennant in there, and globes go out, and they dont want to change them themself, Do they have thr right to call an electrician/handyman at the landlords expense?
If so I will probably just put 1 light fitting in each room and srape the downlights.

Cheers.
 
Tenant is responsible for changing light globes and smoke alarm batteries in NSW. No exclusions for downlights or circular fluros (which are easy to change, not sure why you believe they are any different).

Landlord is responsible for ensuring all lights and smoke detectors work at commencement of tenancy.

If there are lights which are in a location which is difficult or dangerous to access, such as a cathedral ceiling or a second storey floodlight which requires climbing onto the roof, then the tenant may have a case for a handyman but there is nothing in the RTA2010 that would specifically require this to be paid by the landlord. One may argue that the responsibility of changing the globes falls squarely on the tenant and if they are incapable of changing them, then they should find someone to do it for them at their cost.
 
i thought this was going to be a joke about how many PIs it takes to change a light globe.

edit:
one to call an electrician
two to argue whether it's immediately depreciable
one to check the insurance policy
one to go to tribunal
 
One multi unit property has very high ceilings, so we do change those lightbulbs.

Our other places are just ordinary, so it is up to the tenant.
We have had a few tenants over the years, move out and hardly any lightbulbs work. I think they just took the working ones, and replaced them with burnt out ones. We can still buy the 4/$1.00 light bulbs in Canada :)

Our other multi unit building (11 unit) we had the electricty company come out a few months back and replace all our regular bulbs with flourescent ones at n/c. (they offered )They are supposed to take back the incadescent ones, but didn't, so we use them as spares.
 
i thought this was going to be a joke about how many PIs it takes to change a light globe.

edit:
one to call an electrician
two to argue whether it's immediately depreciable
one to check the insurance policy
one to go to tribunal

And then Nathan buys every property on the market while we are arguing about it
 
Tenant is responsible for changing light globes and smoke alarm batteries in NSW. No exclusions for downlights or circular fluros (which are easy to change, not sure why you believe they are any different)..

i know they are easy to change, but if you have down lights you obviously have a lot more lights installed than if you have 1 light in the centre of each room.

aswell as that you cant use those energy saver fluro light globes. so if the LL is responsible for changing the globes when they blow. you would obviously get a lot more call outs if u had down lts, which = $$$ to the LL
 
One for the LL

Tenants can book an electrician for replacing globes they cannot reach. They are not required to own a ladder. LL pays. :rolleyes:

In NSW there used to be a requirement for the LL (at their cost) to change any light globe if the tenant claimed they were unable to do so themselves regardless of the location or type of globe.

This requirement appears to have been deleted from the Act and the responsibility now clearly lies with the tenant.

Clauses 16 & 17 of the current regulation states:

16. The tenant agrees:
16.4 that it is the tenant’s responsibility to replace light globes and batteries for smoke detectors on the residential premises.

17. The tenant agrees, when this agreement ends and before giving vacant possession of the premises to the landlord:
17.5 to make sure that all light fittings on the premises have working globes,

A win for the LL :D
 
Thanks for that BargainHunter. ;)
I stand corrected. I just remember getting stiffed for globe replacements a while back but that must have been pre-new RTA in NSW.
 
Clauses 16 & 17 of the current regulation states:

16. The tenant agrees:
16.4 that it is the tenant’s responsibility to replace light globes and batteries for smoke detectors on the residential premises.

17. The tenant agrees, when this agreement ends and before giving vacant possession of the premises to the landlord:
17.5 to make sure that all light fittings on the premises have working globes,


The Tenant then inserts a special condition as their offer to Lease that clauses 16 and 17 of the RTA are specifically excluded from their offer to Lease.

99% of Landlords receive the offer from their PM and ask - "WTF does clause 16 and 17 say ??"

PM replies - "It's just a minor clause about changing light bulbs. Nothing to worry about. For the sake of getting a Tenant in there, I'd highly recommend you accept their offer, otherwise it could sit vacant for months."

Landlord - "Oh, no problem, yeah go ahead."
 
The Tenant then inserts a special condition as their offer to Lease that clauses 16 and 17 of the RTA are specifically excluded from their offer to Lease.

99% of Landlords receive the offer from their PM and ask - "WTF does clause 16 and 17 say ??"

PM replies - "It's just a minor clause about changing light bulbs. Nothing to worry about. For the sake of getting a Tenant in there, I'd highly recommend you accept their offer, otherwise it could sit vacant for months."

Landlord - "Oh, no problem, yeah go ahead."

I don't think tenants read the leases fully any more than the landlords do :D.

I've never had a tenant add a special clause to any lease, though we do it often.

But I understand what you are saying :).
 
I don't think tenants read the leases fully any more than the landlords do

Agreed - and if they did, it would be a sure bet that they knew how to read the RTA. Double ouchy mama.

At that point, any wise Landlord would run for the hills.
 
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