When a disaster like Cyclone Narelle damages your rental home 

REIWA’s thoughts are with everyone affected by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle. While the system has weakened and moved inland, recovery is ongoing and some areas may still be dealing with damage, access issues and service outages. 

If your rental home has been affected by a cyclone, storm, bushfire or flood, the first priority is safety.

Once it is safe, contact your landlord or property manager as soon as you can. Let them know what has happened and keep a record of any damage.

What to do first

1. Make sure everyone at the property is safe
2. Report the damage to your landlord or property manager
3. Take photos or videos if it is safe to do so
4. Keep a record of what you see and when you reported it.

Good communication early can help avoid delays later.

If there is an emergency

Your landlord or property manager may enter the property without notice in an emergency.

If you are still living in the property after the emergency has passed, they must follow the usual notice rules.

If the home is destroyed or no longer liveable

If the property is not safe to live in, the tenancy will need to end.

Local government can decide if a home is uninhabitable.

If this happens:

• You can give two days’ written notice to end the tenancy
• The landlord can give seven days’ written notice
• The landlord does not have to provide another place to stay.

Your bond should be returned as normal. The landlord cannot claim for damage caused by a disaster.

If the home is damaged but still liveable

If you can still live in the property, tell your landlord or property manager about the damage straight away.

The landlord is responsible for arranging repairs.

Repairs must be organised within set timeframes:

• Within 24 hours for urgent issues like power, water (including hot water), gas or sewerage.
• Within 48 hours for other urgent problems that could cause damage or hardship.
• As soon as possible for non-urgent repairs.

If urgent repairs are not arranged and you cannot contact the landlord or property manager, you may be able to organise minimum repairs yourself and be reimbursed.

Utilities and services

After a disaster, power, water or other services may be disrupted.

In some cases, damage to the property needs to be repaired before services can be restored.

Your provider should be able to give updates on outages and restoration times.

Rent and living conditions

If part of the property cannot be used, such as a shed or pool, you can ask for a rent reduction.

If you want to leave but the property is still liveable, you may need to negotiate with the landlord, especially if you are on a fixed-term lease.

Be careful of unlicensed trades

Unlicensed or cash-only operators sometimes target disaster-affected areas.

If you need to organise repairs:

• Check licences
• Get a quote
• Avoid paying upfront.

Where to get help

Consumer Protection provides guidance on tenant and landlord rights and responsibilities when a rental property is affected by a disaster, including repairs, ending a tenancy and rent adjustments.

For updates and local information:

• Emergency WA for warnings and recovery updates
• Bureau of Meteorology for weather information
• Main Roads travel map for road closures and access.

REIWA's Information Services Line is also available from 9am-5pm Monday-Friday at 08 9380 8200 or [email protected].