Who has told you that you need to be outside?
- A Trades Person - You should follow the directions of any qualified trades person, as an expert their advice is worth heeding.
- NCAT - If you have received orders from NCAT stating you must give access on a certain day & time, if it explicitly stated you must not be inside the property, then I would adhere to the orders.
- Sale of Premises - If the house inspection is for someone to inspect the house because it is up for sale, you can follow the example found here12 & negotiate a rent reduction for the days of the inspection. You are best to allocate one day a week where you will have the premises tidy and presentable, and you can hand back possession of the property for the day. It's a reasonable request for a reduction of 1/7th of your weekly rent given a single day to inspect.
Other than the notes above, I cannot find any provisions of the RTA7 or regulations10 that would provide for a request for a tenant to remain outside the premises during the inspection.
You can find the relevant rules and obligations between landlord's and tenants when it comes to property inspections in [part 4 division 4] of the Residential Tenancy Act8
If you are ever in doubt call the department of fair trading, or your local community legal centre21.
