A landlord's duty of care under Jones v Bartlett does not require upgrading premises to current building standards where the existing condition, though departing from good building practice, is visible and not unusual, and there is no history of accidents. Visible departures from good building practice are not 'dangerous defects' triggering the duty. Changes in building standards since construction do not in themselves impose a duty to upgrade before letting. The majority and dissent disagreed on whether the overriding question is 'reasonable safety for the purpose of letting' (Beazley JA) or whether the condition constitutes a 'dangerous defect' in the Jones v Bartlett sense (Mason P).
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