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Rentals and gutters
Who cleans the gutters in a Queensland rental: tenant or landlord?
In a Queensland rental, cleaning the gutters is generally the owner's job, organised through the property manager, unless the tenant caused the blockage. Tenants look after the everyday outdoor upkeep like mowing, weeding and sweeping, but they can't be required to have specialist equipment, and gutters mean working at roof height.
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What does the RTA say about gutters in a rental?
The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) is the Queensland Government body that looks after renting, and it answers this one directly. If the tenant has not caused the blockage, the property manager or owner may be responsible for cleaning the gutters. In the RTA's podcast on gardens and maintenance, a blocked gutter is described as generally the owner's responsibility, as maintenance.
Drains work the same way. A blockage from fair wear and tear, such as tree roots getting into a pipe, is for the owner to fix. If the tenant caused it (the RTA's own example is a child's toy pushed down a drain), the tenant may have to remove it and pay for any damage.
Around Toowoomba, where jacarandas, gums and liquidambars drop into gutters every year, that normal build-up of leaves is the owner's to deal with. A tenant who jams a downpipe with rubbish, or bends a gutter hanging Christmas lights, is a different story.
Your tenancy agreement and its special terms still matter, so read them. If you are not sure who is responsible in your situation, the RTA takes questions on 1300 366 311.
Why it matters
Why does a blocked gutter end up being the owner's problem?
A full gutter rarely overflows neatly off the front edge. In a heavy downpour the water backs up under the roofing, soaks the fascia and finds its way into the eaves and the wall cavity. The water that should have gone down the downpipe gets dumped against the slab instead, which is the last place you want it on Toowoomba's reactive clay soils.
Queensland's minimum housing standards require a rental to be weatherproof and structurally sound, and free from damp and mould unless the tenant caused it. The RTA gives a leaking roof as an example of a structural problem where the resulting mould is the owner's or manager's responsibility.
Put simply, a gutter clean costs far less than a water-stained ceiling, a rotted fascia board or a mould argument at the end of a lease.
Timing
When should a rental's gutters be cleaned?
For most Toowoomba houses, twice a year: once after the autumn leaf drop, and once in spring before storm season. Under gums it is more like three or four times a year, because gums shed all year rather than in one drop.
The Queensland Building and Construction Commission's advice for getting a home ready for storms includes clearing gutters and downpipes. With summer storms on the way, now is the time to book if a rental's gutters have not been touched since autumn.
On a rental, the easy times to fit it in are between tenancies while the house is empty, around a routine inspection so the photos can go on file with the report, or as a standing booking twice a year so nobody has to remember.
For tenants
What should a tenant do if the gutters are overflowing?
Stay off the roof. Take a photo of the overflow, or of the grass and seedlings growing out of the gutter, and report it to your property manager or owner in writing so there is a record of when you raised it.
If water is getting inside, treat it as urgent. The RTA lists a serious roof leak and serious storm damage as emergency repairs. Call the emergency contact named in your tenancy agreement first, then follow up by email or text.
When you move out, the RTA's cleaning checklist for outside covers balconies, tidying and weeding gardens, and mowing and edging lawns. Gutters are not on it.
For landlords
Can a landlord make the tenant clean the gutters?
Not easily. In the same RTA podcast, the point is made that the Act does not let you require a tenant to have specialist knowledge or specialist equipment. Clearing gutters safely means working at roof height with the right ladder and gear, which is exactly that kind of job.
A special term in the agreement can set out who does what, so check yours. Even where a tenant has agreed to it, think about whether you want someone untrained up a ladder at your property, and whether the job will actually get done before the first big storm.
Around the rest of the outside
Who usually handles the other outdoor jobs?
Booking it in
How do owners and property managers book a gutter clean?
Owners and agencies can book us directly, and nobody needs to be home as long as we can get to the outside of the house. Let us know about locked gates and dogs. You get a reminder the day before and a message when the job is done.
Gutters are cleared by hand or vacuum, every downpipe is flushed and flow-tested, and the debris is bagged and taken away. Every run is photographed, so the agent has something to put on file. If the house is on tank water, the downpipes are diverted or disconnected before we start and reconnected before we leave.
Invoices can go to the owner or straight to the agency, itemised per property. Gutter cleaning starts from $195 inc GST. Quotes are free, we reply within one business day, and the price we quote is the price you pay.
Common questions
Rental gutters, answered
Is the tenant responsible for cleaning gutters in Queensland?
Generally no. The RTA says that if the tenant did not cause the blockage, the property manager or owner may be responsible for cleaning the gutters. Normal build-up of leaves is treated as maintenance.
Who pays for gutter cleaning in a rental?
Normally the owner, as routine maintenance. A tenant may have to pay if they caused the blockage or the damage.
Can gutter cleaning be a special term in the lease?
Special terms can set out who does what, so check yours. The RTA notes a tenant cannot be required to have specialist knowledge or equipment, which matters for work at roof height. If you are unsure, call the RTA on 1300 366 311.
Do tenants have to clean the gutters before moving out?
Gutters are not on the RTA's outdoor cleaning checklist for moving out. Tenants need to leave the property in the same condition it was in at the start, less fair wear and tear.
How often should a rental's gutters be cleaned in Toowoomba?
Twice a year suits most homes: after the autumn leaf drop and in spring before storm season. Under gums, three or four times a year.
Next step
Get the gutters done before the storms
If you own or manage a rental in Toowoomba or within about 35 km of it, call James on (07) 4670 9396 or request a quote online with the address and whether the house is on tank water. Tenants, feel free to pass this page on to your property manager.
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