When you're looking for reasons not to just believe her story, that says a lot more about you than it does about her.

A few years ago, I lived in an apartment that cost about $600 usd (~$800 aud?) a month. I had 3 roommates, my room was a loft that I couldn't stand up straight in, had no AC unit or window screen in hot humid weather, the common areas were dilapidated, and the bathroom was covered in black mold. I was a student at the time so I didn't mind knowing it was temporary but one of my roommates wasn't so lucky. She tried to get the landlord to do something about the mold because it was impacting her health, but this slumlord decided to go malicious compliance on her/us for daring to expect livable conditions, so he made our bathroom unusable while his handyman "took care of" the mold and "allowed" us to use another unit's bathroom that I heard was even more neglected somehow (I used the university bathroom instead).

My point is, she's likely doing repairs herself not because she knows what she's doing but because she's scared of a slumlord retaliating if she asks anything of them. It's a horribly stressful way to live as I've seen first hand.

I understood it that if she rents a run-down place it's because of the cheaper rent and by doing the work the rent stays that way and she is less likely to be turfed out. Looong ago when I was a student and shared a flat with other students we kept the rent low exactly by doing that, painting the place, fixing bits and pieces.

Also we don't know her age. She is not a tradie, just handy. To do a full day's labouring on a construction site can be very heavy-going.

yes, did you just learn that being poor is expensive? you get much much less, for much more.

the boots analogy from disc world