A tenant reports a leaning gum. The landlord says the tenant should manage the yard. The property manager is stuck in the middle, and the tree doesn’t care whose job it is. This scenario plays out across Sunshine Coast rentals every storm season — sometimes with lawyers at the end.
The duties are actually clearer than most people think.
The landlord’s core duty
Under Queensland’s Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act, lessors must keep the premises in a reasonable state of repair and compliant with health and safety laws. A tree that a reasonable inspection would flag as dangerous — dead, splitting, leaning freshly toward the house — sits squarely in the landlord’s repair obligations.
The tenant’s role
Tenants must keep the property reasonably clean and — critically — report problems. A tenant who photographs and reports a hazardous tree in writing has done their job well; one who takes a chainsaw to it has usually breached their agreement and possibly council rules. Report, don’t retaliate.
The property manager’s shield
Documentation is everything. Written tree reports from tenants logged and actioned; periodic arborist inspections on tree-heavy properties; quotes sought promptly; owners advised in writing of risk and cost. If the worst happens, that paper trail is the difference between “managed responsibly” and negligence.
The practical playbook
Tenant reports → manager acknowledges in writing → qualified arborist assesses (fast, and it’s cheap) → landlord gets the report plus a clear recommendation → works scheduled by risk. When owners baulk, put the risk in writing. Most find the money quickly when the liability is spelled out.
In rental tree risk, silence is the enemy. Report it, document it, assess it — the tree problem shrinks the moment it’s on paper.
