A public housing landlord's obligation under s 48(1)(a) of the Residential Tenancies Act 1999 (NT) to ensure premises are 'habitable' extends to ensuring the safety of drinking water supplied by a third-party provider, where the water is supplied with the landlord's consent and the tenants have no contractual or financial relationship with the provider. The fact that an external entity has statutory responsibility for water supply does not absolve the landlord of its habitability obligations. The question of whether uranium levels in the water actually pose a health risk remains to be determined on remittal.
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