What constitutes an urgent repair

Lock on an external window (timber frame) has broken. I'm on the ground floor and my house is now unable to be locked and not, IMO, "reasonably safe". PM tends to drag their heels on repairs and has to be chased constantly.

Does an unsecured house constitute an urgent repair? And, how long should I give them to fix it before I take it further? 24 hours? Three days? I am also concerned my home and contents may be void if someone breaks in.

 

What has broken? The screw has become loose & fallen out? The lock body fell apart? The spring balance has jammed stopping the window closing?

Can the window be secured in any other fashion eg short timber in the sliding track?

Not a good problem to have but the agent should be getting someone out within the times specified in the lease knowing the nature of the issue.

How long has the lock been failing?

 

I think that constitutes an urgent repair, forward your concerns to the agency principal.

 

From Fair Trading NSW.
Tenants can arrange urgent repairs in these circumstances:
If the tenant cannot contact the landlord or agent, or if the landlord does not carry out urgent repairs within a reasonable time, the tenant can:

• refer to the tenancy agreement for the details of a nominated tradesperson to contact (if any)
• arrange for the work to be completed, and
• be reimbursed, up to $1,000 by the landlord.

The landlord is only required to reimburse the tenant’s costs if:

• the need for the urgent repair was not the tenant’s fault
• they contacted the landlord or agent about the problem or made a reasonable attempt to do so
• they gave the landlord or agent a reasonable opportunity to get the repairs done, and
• the repairs were carried out by a licensed tradesperson (if appropriate).

After the repairs are done, the tenant needs to write to the landlord explaining the details of the repairs and include copies of all receipts.

 

The lock just broke this afternoon.
It's a Federation style sash window fastener.
The stationary bit (i.e. not the slider bit) was fastened to the timber frame with screws, which must have been getting progressively loose over the last few months because today it completely came away from the timber.
It's in a difficult spot because there are double-glazed aluminium frames on the inside of the timber frame, and it's above my height, so I can't see it properly to assess the damage.
Last month a similar lock failed in another part of the house but that was because the timber frame had completely rotted through. A handyman was sent out to do a bodgy and stuck it all back together with metal glue.

"...the agent should be getting someone out within the times specified in the lease knowing the nature of the issue"

>> this is my problem. What constitutes a "reasonable timeframe" for an urgent repair? The lease doesn't specify. The only thing specified in the lease is the obligation of the landlord to reimburse me for any "urgent" repairs I pay for out of my own pocket within 14 days.

 

Doesn't sound like it's close to the ground but should be addressed asap sad it's a security issue.

 

From the outside of the property, the bottom of the window is about 1.2m from the ground. So, easily accessible for someone looking for an opportunity to B&E.

 

Is it the lock or the catch (or is it the same thing?).

I ask because if the lock on my window was broken, the window would still be held closed by the catch and it wouldn’t be a security risk (though if someone broke in another way, they would be able to open the window from the inside).

Are you working from home?

 

It's the "catch" part of a sash window fastener like the ones on this page:
https://www.tradco.com.au/products/window-fittings-and-bolts/sash-window-fasteners

But very old. The window can now freely open and close from the inside and the outside.
It's in a very difficult spot - the aluminium frames may need to come off first before the catch can be reattached to the timber frame.
Yes, I am working from home and I also have children here half the week.

 

It should be repaired but will that actually improve security? You might need a piece of dowel.

 

Well, the good news is that is is very unlikely that anyone will break in if you are home. I can completely understand that you want it fixed promptly though.

I think at least three days to organise a tradie or handyman would be fair. Have you reported it yet?

Why not just hop on a (stable) chair and see what’s going on...it might just be a matter of tightening the screws.

 

Not sure that would qualify as a lock.

 

Managed to wrangle the internal frames and get the screws back in. Here's what's happening: every time the slider slides into the catch, it "levers" the catch out of the timber.
The screws are rusted through and no longer have any "bite" to fix the catch to the frame.

 

With a catch like that, it'll keep the honest crooks out. Even if it were in good nick, a solid whack on the sash would knock the screws out.

 

You would have had zip security to start with.

I normally don't do anything unless it's something like this:





"What do you mean half the house is gone? I'll send some one around next week" ...clunk.. lol

 

Try the current screws again - but cut a matchstick to the length of each hole and insert before rescrewing (gives the screw something to ‘bite’ into.)

If that doesn’t work (if the current screws are wrecked) then just replace the screws (you might need to use slightly wider screws to bite into new wood, or use the matchstick trick.

Cost of a small packet of screws is only about $4. Be sure to bring the catch and old screws in to the store to get ones with the correct head and width.

 

No modification. It’s just a matchstick! Or new screws (I didn’t say get screws that are double the length - which would lead to issues).

And I would recommend using a normal screwdriver not a power tool if the OP doesn’t know what they are doing.

And if that doesn’t work and the option of slightly wider screws don’t work then there is no harm done.

You’d have to be incredibly incompetent to damage the window with this approach.

Of course the OP can run it past the landlord.

But I would have had a look and just fixed it myself before starting a discussion about emergency repairs and a cost to the landlord of over $100 if a repair person gets called.

 

There might be a lot of salvageable stuff here, including the window locks.

You might want to get around there before some neighbours form the same view...

 

The neighbours in the Druitt would start knocking off the the timber for their fire place (a 20 litre drum in the lounge room). Before long their house will suffer the same fate lol.