Rental electrical safety checklist for Victoria

Victorian rental providers must have the electrical installation checked by a licensed or registered electrician every two years, keep every outlet and lighting circuit on a circuit breaker and safety switch, and have smoke alarms checked every year. This page turns those duties into a list you can print and tick off for each Warragul or Baw Baw rental. Each line names the regulator page it comes from, so you can confirm the wording yourself.

How should you use this checklist?

Work through it once for each property, before a new agreement starts and again whenever a check falls due. Keep the completed copy with the electrician’s reports. The rental electrical safety checks service page explains what the electrician does on the day; this page is only the list.

Before a new rental agreement

Done	Item	Source
[ ]	The last electrical safety check is less than two years old. If there has been none in that time, book one as soon as possible.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, gas and electrical safety
[ ]	The date of the most recent electrical check, and any outstanding recommendations from it, are disclosed to the renter before the agreement is signed.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, gas and electrical safety
[ ]	The switchboard has circuit breakers and safety switches, and every power outlet and lighting circuit connects to both.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, minimum standards
[ ]	The property meets the rental minimum standards before the renter moves in.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, minimum standards
[ ]	The renter has written information on how each smoke alarm works, how to test it, and what the renter is expected to do.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, smoke alarms
[ ]	Smoke alarms are in working order and have batteries or replacement batteries.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, smoke alarms

Every two years

Done	Item	Source
[ ]	The whole installation, including fixtures and fittings, is inspected and tested by a licensed or registered electrician, following the periodic assessment method in AS/NZS 3019.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, gas and electrical safety
[ ]	The electrician’s record shows their name, licence or registration number, the date, the results, any repairs made, and a report in the format AS/NZS 3019 sets out.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, gas and electrical safety
[ ]	Repairs the check recommends are booked and the paperwork filed.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, gas and electrical safety
[ ]	A gas check is done at the same interval if the property has gas, by a gasfitter with the right endorsement.	Energy Safe Victoria, tenants and renting laws

Every year

Done	Item	Source
[ ]	Smoke alarms are safety checked and tested at least once every 12 months, following the manufacturer’s instructions. These yearly checks became mandatory for all Victorian rentals from 25 November 2025.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, smoke alarms
[ ]	Each alarm meets AS 3786.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, smoke alarms
[ ]	In a building constructed after 1 August 1997, alarms are hardwired with battery backup. Older buildings may use battery alarms.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, smoke alarms
[ ]	Any hardwired alarm that is added or replaced is installed by a qualified electrician.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, smoke alarms

The smoke alarms page covers alarm types, placement and replacement in more detail.

Records to keep and show

Done	Item	Source
[ ]	The record of the most recent electrical check is kept until the next one replaces it.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, gas and electrical safety
[ ]	A copy goes to the renter within 7 days of a written request.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, gas and electrical safety
[ ]	The landlord or agent holds the records and shows them when a tenant asks.	Energy Safe Victoria, tenants and renting laws
[ ]	Since 13 October 2026, records showing the property met the minimum standards before it was advertised and before the renter moved in are on file, because Consumer Affairs Victoria can ask to see them.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, minimum standards
[ ]	A Certificate of Electrical Safety is filed for any repair or new electrical work. A certificate is not the form used for the two-yearly safety check itself.	Energy Safe Victoria, certificates for consumers

Urgent repairs

Done	Item	Source
[ ]	A faulty smoke alarm is treated as an urgent repair, and a repair or replacement is arranged immediately once the provider is told.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, smoke alarms
[ ]	The renter knows that if the provider cannot be reached or does not act straight away, the renter may authorise and pay for an urgent smoke alarm repair up to the capped amount on the CAV page, and be repaid within 7 days.	Consumer Affairs Victoria, smoke alarms
[ ]	The agent has a clear way for renters to report electrical faults, such as a tripping safety switch or a scorched outlet.	Good practice

What do the safety switch rules mean in practice?

The minimum standard that started on 29 March 2023 requires modern switchboards with circuit breakers and safety switches. In an older house, the board may still have rewireable fuses, or its safety switches may cover only some circuits. If the two-yearly check finds that, the fix is usually a board change or extra safety switches. The safety switches page explains that job, and the electrician who quotes it can say which applies to your board.

What does a simple due-date register look like?

If you look after more than one rental, a short register per address stops checks slipping between agreements. Copy this layout into a spreadsheet or the front of each property file:

Column	What to record
Address and town	Street address, plus the town, such as Drouin or Trafalgar
Last electrical check	Date of the check and the electrician’s licence or registration number
Next electrical check	Two years after the last one
Outstanding recommendations	Anything the report listed that is not yet fixed
Last smoke alarm check	Date, and how many alarms were tested
Next smoke alarm check	Twelve months after the last one
Gas at the property	Yes or no, and the date of the last gas check
Disclosure given	Date the last check date was given to the renter

Set a reminder a month before each due date so access can be arranged with the renter in good time. When a renter leaves and a new agreement is about to start, run down the “before a new rental agreement” list above as well.

What do renters usually notice first?

Renters are often the first to see a problem. Prompt reports in writing help the rental provider act quickly. Common reports include a safety switch that trips during rain, an outlet that feels warm, a light fitting that buzzes, a smoke alarm that chirps after a battery change, or a meter box door that will not close. Each one is worth recording against the address in the register, with the date it was reported and fixed.

Who arranges and pays for the work?

Consumer Affairs Victoria says the rental provider is responsible for engaging the electrician to make sure the property complies. A renter should report problems in writing and keep a copy. If you manage several properties across Warragul, Drouin and nearby towns, a single schedule of due dates for each address saves missed checks.

You can request a rental check quote for one property or a group of them through this site. Any electrician who responds is an independent licensed business that sets its own price and carries out the work, and the about page explains how enquiries are passed on.

A few things an electrician will not skip

A careful electrician doing a rental check will test every safety switch, look at the condition of outlets, switches and visible cabling, and note anything that does not meet the current rules. They will not sign off a check without doing the tests, and they will record defects even if the owner would prefer they did not. If a defect is dangerous, expect them to make it safe before leaving.

Ask for the report in writing, and file it with this checklist. A house that has changed hands several times may have had wiring altered by more than one owner, so for a rental in Warragul or nearby a written list of findings is more useful than a verbal all-clear.

Next step: book the checks due on your rental

List each property address, the date of its last electrical and smoke alarm check, whether it has gas, and how many smoke alarms it has. Note whether the agreement is about to start or renew and when the property can be accessed. Then send a rental compliance check enquiry so a provider can quote the work due on each address.

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