What is a maintenance debt?
Maintenance debts are incurred if the department repairs your property during your tenancy to fix damage that did not result from fair wear and tear, and charges you for the repair costs.
Maintenance debts will be added to your account if you, anyone in your household or visitors damage the home in any way.
What happens if I owe money for maintenance or cleaning costs?
These costs will be charged to your account and you will be notified in writing. You are given four weeks to pay these costs.
What if I don't agree with these costs?
If you don't agree with the maintenance or cleaning costs that are charged to your account, you should contact your Housing Service Centre to discuss the matter. If you cannot reach an agreement on the costs, you can appeal this decision (see Appeals).
What if I don't pay these costs?
If you need housing assistance in the future, and you have an outstanding debt, the department will not offer you any further assistance until you have repaid your debt. You will only be provided assistance in exceptional circumstances.
If you owe money to the department for rent or maintenance costs when you leave the property, you are required to repay it.
The department uses its own debt management team to recover outstanding money and may use the judicial system where required.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License