Hi everyone
I am a student and have just moved into a rental property which is managed directly by the landlord. Recently (well, over a month ago) I applied with Optus to get our phone line connected as well as the internet. This took 2 weeks. The phone line was then found to be faulty and we were told it would be another 2 weeks before they could get someone to fix it. After those 2 weeks Telstra told us that it wasn't as simple a task as they had thought because they could not get under the house, so they would have to excavate some of the garden and footpath.
Our landlord was not happy with this and was convinced that no excavation had to be done. He started arguing with Telstra's people and was trying to do things his own way. I am unsure what happened after the argument because I had to leave to go to uni, but when I arrived home tonight, the phone line is still not working.
My question lies in my rights as a tenant and really what I should do to get the simple liberty of having a working phone line in our house as promptly as possible, seeing as it has taken us 5 weeks so far. Does the landlord HAVE to supply use with a phone line? Even if it means this excavation (I don't think it is too major, just digging up a bit of lawn)? Who should I really be talking to to get this done? Telstra? Optus the internet provider? The landlord? I am sick of being given the run around and just want this problem fixed and was hoping that someone here might be able to help me a little.
(PS I hope this is a topic for these forums! I have been a reader here a long time now since I got the idea of buying a property in my head at the ripe old age of 18 (Still yet to do it but
). I haven't been here for a while but it was just the first place I thought of to post such a question. It is good to see people such as foundation and Simon still helping people out after all these years. Having said that, advice from anyone would be great and thank you in advance.)~Eddie
I would think that if the phone line is there, it needs to be in working condition,If there wasn't one there, that might be a different story.I imagine the landlord is upset because it is going to cost him money, not because they are going to dig up the garden.Telstra uses contractors for most things now, and they operate on a fee for service.
Tools
Hello,
Im not sure what state you are in but each state has something like: http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/realestaterenting/tenantslandlords/repairs.html.It does not state anything to do with the phone line but I have friends who have contacted fair trading and have found them very helpful.
Im not sure how smart your landlord is. If it was me:
1. When was the phone last working?
2. What was the number?
3, Who was the provider?
4. What has changed since then?Then take a course of action.
Good luck,
Hi Ed, What state are you in?
In SA, as unfair as it sounds, the landlord does not have to supply a phone line to the house even if a plug is present. We have started to add a specifically worded clause to our leases to protect landlords from having to do things like dig up footpaths etc.The problem actually lies with telstra not the landlord, what we have found is that properties are rented for a period of time say a year or 2 and the tenant does not connect a phone line because they use their mobile phone, this is a common occurance. Telstra then physically disconnect the line to that house. The next tenant comes along and wants a phone line connected, telstra then tell them that the owner of the property has to pay a connection fee.
As a property manager and investor, I don't see why investors should reduce their profits in a property due to telstra disconnecting unused lines. We recently had a meeting in our office and decided to either make it a condition of the lease to maintian phone lines ie tenants must connect a phone or add a clause stating that the landlord is not responsible for any phone connections and if tenants want one they do it at their own expense.
We voted on the latter!
Yep;
when tenants sign the lease they should do so knowing all the existing conditions of the house – if it has or has not things like aircon, phone, gas or elec cooking etc.
They cannot then turn around and ask for something that they want , which was not originally supplied, and expect it to be provided at no cost.
The landlord can offer to provide it at an extra cost in the rent of course, or even provide it for free if they are very generous, but they are not obliged to.
I tend to disagree.
Im of the opinion a phone line is now a basic service and if the tenant requests it the tenant should only pay for the connection fee. Whether it be physical connection or remote conneciton.
If the line is damaged, I believe the landlord should repair it. The line will be there for longer than the tenant.
I own a number of houses that I rent and I know my tenants have children. So its important all basic services (smoke alarms, phone, water, hot water and electricity) are provided and functional for their safety.
Regards,
Thank you to all who replied.
It turned out that the landlord was the hero in the end and stood his ground with telstra saying that no excavation was required. He asked if he could try putting the replacement wire through himself and was successful. The line now works with no problems and my respect for our landlord as a handyman has grown.
This all happened a while ago, has just been a long time since I have checked here. Thanks again to all who replied!
PS The line WAS already in the house and was advertised as a working phone line. We had just never tried to have it connected until recently seeing as mobile phone caps are a decent alternative to land lines now…
). I haven't been here for a while but it was just the first place I thought of to post such a question. It is good to see people such as foundation and Simon still helping people out after all these years. Having said that, advice from anyone would be great and thank you in advance.)
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