In a unique settlement, Wollongong Legal Aid has helped a young family claim compensation from their landlords for possessions lost in Wollongong's October 1999 floods.
The tenants, a young couple with two pre-school aged children, claimed the landlord knew that the house had a long history of flooding and that the frequency and severity of this made the house uninhabitable.
In a negotiated settlement the landlord agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to the tenants for their belongings which had been ruined by the flood waters. The tenants say they lost more than $10,000 worth of possessions, including irreplaceable items when water poured into their home.
Lawyer Matt Turner says the decision of the Residential Tenancies Tribunal sends a strong message to landlords.
"With the storms and floods which have hit Wollongong in 1998 and again in 1999, this issue becomes extremely important not only for tenants here but throughout Australia."
"There are many properties in the Illawarra at risk of flooding and landlords can be liable if their tenants are affected. The Residential Tenancies Act 1987 requires premises to be safe to live in and of a reasonable standard."
See also the media release dated 6 April 2000 |
