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I rent a place and it got damaged because of DV. What can I do?

When there is damage to a place you rent because of domestic violence, you may not need to pay to fix it.
Report the damage to your landlord or agent as soon as possible.
If someone tries to make you pay for the damage see a lawyer.

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Who Can Help? (Service Providers)

logo-helpline-1.png Helpline
TEWLS Law Info TEWLS (Top End Women’s Legal Service)
NAAFLS - LawInfo NAAFLS (North Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Service) – Katherine
logo-NAAFLS.png NAAFLS (North Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Service) – Darwin
KWILS - LawInfo KWILS (Katherine Women’s Information & Legal Service)
DVLS -LawInfo DVLS (Domestic Violence Legal Service)
DCLS LawInfo DCLS (Darwin Community Legal Service)
CAAFLU LawInfo CAAFLU (Central Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Unit) – Tennant Creek
CAAFLU LawInfo CAAFLU (Central Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Unit) – Alice Springs
CAWLS LawInfo CAWLS (Central Australian Women’s Legal Service)
Text based resources about this topic

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Repairs of rental house DCLS factsheet

This factsheet talks about repairs and maintenance on rental houses.
Domestic Violence and Tenancy

This factsheet talks about domestic violence and renting.
Repairs of rental house NTCA

This is another fact sheet about repairs and maintenance at your rental house.
Watch videos about this topic

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Community Law Stories – Jen’s Broken House Part I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ja8RA4JCv4

This short video is about what to do when your house needs repairs because you have damaged it.

 

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View graphic resources like posters and photos

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Glossary: What these words mean
property

Property is something a person owns. It can include:

  • real estate: family home, investment property or commercial property
  • vehicles: cars, trucks, caravans, boats, trailers and motorbikes
  • money: cash or in bank accounts
  • shares or stocks: in a business or partnership, or a family or public company
  • insurance policies
  • superannuation
  • jewellery
  • furniture and household items
  • debts: mortgages, loans, credit cards and personal debts.
domestic and family violence

When one person uses violence, threats, force or intimidation to try and control another person in a domestic relationship. Domestic violence includes:

  • what someone says
  • what someone does
  • what someone threatens to do.

Domestic violence can include damaging property, controlling money, or controlling where a person goes and who they see.
damaged

Damage is injury or harm that makes something less valuable or useful because it needs to be fixed. For example, scratching the paint on the walls of a rental property is damage.
landlord

The person or company who owns the place that you pay rent to live in.
agent

Someone who is looking after the house for the landlord and collecting rent money.
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