Because the property you rent is still your home.
At Altus Realty Group, we believe a good tenancy works best when everyone involved is treated with respect. While we manage properties on behalf of our landlords, we also recognise something equally important – the property is your home.
You deserve clear communication, reasonable privacy, a safe and properly maintained property and a team you can contact when something needs attention. Our job is to help make your tenancy as straightforward as possible, from the day you collect the keys until the day you eventually hand them back.
Your rights and responsibilities
Renting a home comes with rights and responsibilities for both you and your landlord. In South Australia, residential tenancies are primarily governed by the Residential Tenancies Act 1995 and associated regulations.
Your rights
As a renter, you have the right to reasonable peace, comfort and privacy in your home. Your landlord also has responsibilities around the condition, security, repair and maintenance of the property, including ensuring prescribed minimum housing standards are met at the beginning of a tenancy.
Your responsibilities
There are responsibilities on your side too. We ask that you:
- Look after the property
- Keep it reasonably clean
- Pay your rent as agreed
- Let us know when something needs attention
- Contact us promptly if damage occurs
Most importantly, if you’re unsure about something, please ask us. We would much rather have a conversation early than let a small question become a bigger issue.
Something needs fixing? Tell us.
Things occasionally break. Taps leak, appliances stop working and sometimes properties simply need some attention. Please don’t feel like reporting maintenance is causing trouble – we want to know.
Reporting an issue early gives us the opportunity to assess it, communicate with the property owner and arrange the appropriate response before a minor problem potentially becomes a major one.
Lodge the request
For normal maintenance requests, please lodge the issue through our nominated maintenance process and provide as much information as you can. Photos or videos can be particularly helpful where appropriate, as they allow our team and tradespeople to better understand what is happening.
We assess it
Once received, we’ll assess the request, communicate with the landlord where required and arrange the appropriate next step.
We keep it moving
Some repairs are straightforward, while others may require quotes, specialist assessment or approval before work can begin. Either way, we’ll keep the process moving and communicate with you where further information or access is required.
When maintenance is urgent
Some maintenance simply can’t wait. Issues like these need to be reported as soon as possible:
If an urgent maintenance issue occurs during business hours, contact the Altus team immediately. For urgent issues outside normal business hours, follow the emergency maintenance instructions provided with your tenancy information, including any nominated emergency contacts or tradespeople.
If you cannot contact us and the situation requires an emergency repair, South Australian tenancy laws provide circumstances where a renter may arrange necessary repairs through an appropriately licensed tradesperson. Requirements apply to this process, including making reasonable attempts to contact the landlord or agent and obtaining appropriate documentation from the tradesperson.
Where it is safe to do so, taking reasonable steps to prevent further damage – such as turning off the water supply during a significant leak – can also help while assistance is being arranged.
Access and inspections
We understand that while you’re renting, the property is your private home.
Access to your home
There will be times when we need to arrange access for routine inspections, repairs, maintenance or other legitimate reasons connected with managing the property, and South Australian tenancy laws set out when a landlord or agent can enter and the notice requirements that apply.
For non-urgent repairs and maintenance, at least 48 hours’ notice is generally required unless you request or agree to earlier access. Different notice requirements apply to other types of entry, while urgent situations may allow access without the usual notice.
Where possible, we’ll communicate clearly with you about why access is required, who may be attending and what to expect.
Routine inspections
Routine inspections are part of renting a professionally managed property, but they’re not designed to make you feel uncomfortable in your own home. They give us an opportunity to check the general condition of the property, identify maintenance requirements and provide the landlord with an update on their investment.
We understand that people live in homes – they’re not display houses. We simply ask that the property is reasonably clean and cared for and that you let us know about any maintenance or concerns you’ve noticed.
Inspections are also an opportunity for you to raise anything about the property that you think we should be aware of.
A conversation is nearly always a better starting point than allowing an issue to grow.Good communication goes both ways
Life doesn’t always run perfectly. If your circumstances change, you’re experiencing difficulty meeting an obligation under your tenancy or something simply isn’t making sense, please contact us as early as you can.
We can’t promise that every situation will have the answer you’re hoping for, but we can promise to listen, communicate clearly and work through the appropriate process with you.
You’re never on your own
We hope you’ll always feel comfortable speaking with the Altus team first, but you also have the right to seek independent information and support about your tenancy.
These services can help you better understand your rights, responsibilities and options if you need independent guidance.
Consumer and Business Services
Information and advice about residential tenancy rights and responsibilities in South Australia.
131 882After all, it’s someone’s investment – but it’s your home.
A good tenancy should feel like a partnership between the renter, property owner and property management team. We expect our renters to look after the homes entrusted to them, communicate openly with us and meet their responsibilities under their tenancy.
In return, you should expect the same level of respect from us – clear communication, fair treatment, honest conversations and people you can actually talk to when you need some help.
We want our renters to feel comfortable contacting us, confident that maintenance will be taken seriously and clear about what is expected throughout their tenancy.
This page provides general information about residential tenancies in South Australia and is not legal advice. Tenancy laws and requirements can change. For current information about your rights and responsibilities, visit Consumer and Business Services or SA.GOV.AU.