Emergency Plumbing for Landlords and Property Managers
Your obligations, faster make-safe, and the paperwork you need after every job.
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THE SHORT ANSWER
In short
Landlords must keep a rental in a reasonable state of repair, with adequate plumbing and drainage and hot and cold water, and must handle urgent repairs. If a tenant has to arrange one, the landlord must repay up to $1,000 within 14 days. Naming a 24/7 plumber on the lease as the nominated tradesperson for urgent plumbing means the tenant calls someone you trust. We attend in 30 minutes, guaranteed, and send you the invoice, photos and a written report.
YOUR OBLIGATIONS
Your obligations in an urgent repair
- Keep the premises in a reasonable state of repair. The NSW Government says this is judged against the property’s age, the rent and its expected life, and does not mean perfect condition (NSW Government).
- Meet the minimum standards, which include adequate plumbing and drainage, a water connection supplying hot and cold water for drinking, washing and cleaning, and private bathroom and toilet facilities (minimum standards, section 52 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010).
- Arrange urgent repairs promptly, such as a burst water service, a blocked toilet or no hot water.
- Repay a tenant’s reasonable urgent repair costs, up to $1,000, within 14 days of their written notice (standard tenancy agreement).
- Speed limits damage: a burst pipe left running damages floors, walls and the unit below.
General information only, not legal or insurance advice: your lease, by-laws or policy decide. Checked 1 November 2026.
COMMON CALLS
Common rental plumbing calls, and who usually pays
| The call | Urgent? | Usually pays |
|---|---|---|
| Burst flexi hose under the vanity | Yes | The landlord |
| No hot water | Yes | The landlord |
| The only toilet blocked by tree roots in the sewer line | Yes | The landlord |
| A toilet blocked by wipes the tenant flushed | Yes, it still needs fixing now | The tenant may be liable, as damage they caused |
| A dripping tap or running cistern wasting a little water | No: give 2 days’ notice to enter | The landlord |
| A shower leaking through failed waterproofing | Not usually, unless water is spreading | The landlord; insurers generally exclude shower leaks |
| Sewage coming up from Sydney Water’s main | Yes | Sydney Water: call 13 20 90 |
From our records: across 1,530 jobs for real estate agencies since 2019, the causes we recorded most often were water leak (267), worn tap washer or cartridge (134), faulty toilet cistern parts (86), tree roots in the drain line (62) and silt and debris build-up (61). Most are wear and age, which sit with the landlord.
IF REPAIRS ARE SLOW
What happens if an urgent repair waits
A tenant who cannot reach you, or who is not given a reasonable chance of a fix, can arrange the repair and send you the bill, up to $1,000, payable within 14 days. You do not have to repay if the tenant caused the damage, did not try to contact you, did not give you a reasonable time to act, or used an unlicensed tradesperson.
Beyond that, NSW Fair Trading can issue a rectification order setting a deadline for the work. The Tribunal can order compensation of up to $15,000 for a tenant’s losses from a failure to repair, and can lower the rent, back-dated to when the problem began (NSW Government, Tenants’ Union of NSW). A fast plumber is cheaper than any of those.
FOR PROPERTY MANAGERS
An after-hours playbook for property managers
- Answer or return the tenant’s call quickly. A tenant who cannot reach you is entitled to arrange the repair themselves.
- Ask five questions: is water still running, is it near power points or lights, is sewage involved, is it the only toilet, and is there any hot water? The answers decide whether it is urgent.
- Talk the tenant through turning off the meter tap, or the isolation valve on the toilet, tap or hot water system.
- Send the nominated plumber and confirm the owner’s authorisation limit, so the job is not held up waiting for a call back.
- In a strata building, tell the strata manager the same night if the fault may be in common property, such as a pipe in the slab or a shared stack.
- File the photos, report and invoice against the property that day, update the owner, and notify the insurer if there is damage.
NOMINATE US
Make us the nominated plumber on your leases
The NSW standard tenancy agreement has a box for nominated tradespeople for urgent repairs, with a line for plumbing. Tenants must try the nominated tradesperson first. Put Proximity Plumbing and 0420 102 394 there and your tenants reach a licensed plumber 24/7, onsite in 30 minutes, guaranteed, and you get the paperwork.
At the start of each tenancy, show the tenant where the meter tap and the hot water isolation valve are. A tenant who can stop the water in the first two minutes turns a flood into a puddle.
ACCESS
Access for repairs
No notice is needed in an emergency or for urgent repairs, such as a burst pipe or a blocked toilet; necessary non-urgent repairs need at least 2 days’ notice each time (NSW Government).
WATER BILLS
Leaks and water bills
You can pass water usage on to a tenant only if the property is separately metered and water efficient, including fixing leaking taps and toilets. Since 23 March 2025 that includes dual flush toilets rated at least 3 stars. Ask for payment within 3 months of the bill, include a copy of it, and allow the tenant at least 21 days to pay (NSW Government).
A meter that keeps moving with everything off points to a hidden leak (NSW Government): we find it with leak detection. If a licensed plumber finds and fixes a leak you could not see or hear, Sydney Water’s hidden leak allowance may credit part of the usage charge (Sydney Water).
WHAT WE SEND YOU
What we send after every job
- An invoice with our licence number and the property address
- Photos before and after
- A written report of the cause and the repair
- The tenant’s name and the time we attended and finished
Our photos and written report record what we found and where the fault is. They are evidence: who pays is decided by the lease, the strata by-laws or the policy, not by our report.
Half of our 33 priced burst pipe call-outs since 2019 cost between $385 and $862, including GST, with a median of $495. Every repair gets a written scope and a fixed price before it starts. If we find something the quote didn’t cover, we stop and give you a revised fixed price before continuing.
PROPERTY MANAGERS
Set up an emergency account
Tell us about your agency and we will set up an account, so your tenants’ urgent repairs are attended and billed the way you want.
What you get
- 24/7 attendance, onsite in 30 minutes, guaranteed
- Work done within your limit, or a call first
- Invoice, photos and report after every job
QUESTIONS
Questions from landlords
MORE HELP
Emergency help
24/7 EMERGENCY PLUMBERS
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