Urgent Maintenance

Urgent & General Maintenance

Shelter Real Estate manages repairs and maintenance in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic).

This page explains:


Important Information About After‑Hours Repairs


Repair Categories

Urgent Repairs

Can it wait?

Urgent repairs are issues that make the property unsafe or difficult to live in and cannnot wait until the next business day.

Examples of urgent repairs (as defined by law) include:

For example, items such as burst water mains need to be attended to immediately, but a blocked toilet if another toilet is available can wait until the next business day. No heating or hot water working late at night can usually wait until the morning.  


How to Report an Urgent Repair

To notify Shelter of an urgent repair at any time, including after hours:

Email: pm@shelterrealestate.com.au
Text: 0480 099 722

Please include:

Providing notice fulfills your obligation to notify the agent immediately.


Before Contacting a Trade

Before arranging an urgent repair, renters should:

  1. Confirm the issue meets the legal definition of an urgent repair
  2. Use the troubleshooting guide
  3. Collect photos or video evidence

This assists in avoiding unnecessary call‑out fees.


After‑Hours Urgent Repairs — Approved Trades

If an urgent repair occurs outside business hours, renters may contact an approved trade directly.

These trades have been instructed to only respond to urgent repairs.
Non‑urgent works will not be approved after hours.

Heating & Cooling

Air Co Services — 0433 718 650

Plumbing / Hot Water / Gas

Ashburton Plumbing — 0418 389 631
Nextgen — 0411 427 696

Electrical

Auburn Electrical — 0419 341 052

Locksmith

Kon the Locksmith — 0412 558 850
Lockness Locksmiths — 0404 882 413

Storm Damage

SES — 132 500

If you contact a trade, please also email Shelter with:


If No Approved Trade Responds

You need to try the approved trades first.  If no approved trade responds within a reasonable time, the renter may:

Shelter will review the matter on the next business day


Costs & Misuse of Emergency Services

Emergency and after‑hours services are strictly for urgent repairs only that cannot wait until the next business day.  

If a renter engages a trade for:

or the trade is not on the above approved trade list the renter may be personally responsible for any costs not considered reasonable or urgent under the Act.

If you choose to use an after hours service for an issue that can wait until the next business day, then you will be responsible for the after hours call out fee.

Disputes commonly arise due to the excessive after hour call out fees charged by a trade. A good rule of thumb to use is if it you were responsible for paying, could it wait a few hours until the next day or would you pay the extra after hours premium call out fee.