What do rental electrical safety checks commonly find?

Rental providers who entered into an agreement after 29 March 2021 must have all electrical installations and fittings checked by a licensed electrician at least every 2 years, and from 13 October 2026 the two-yearly checks apply to all rental agreements. Energy Safe Victoria's guidance says the check follows section 4 of AS/NZS 3019:2022, the standard for periodic assessment.

The check looks at the fixed installation: switchboard, safety switches, wiring, power points, switches, light fittings and hard-wired appliances. The same defects turn up again and again, and most are small jobs that are easy to prevent.

Cracked or broken power point covers, loose switches, outlets pulling away from the wall and scorch marks around a plug are the most familiar findings. They come from furniture pushed against a plug, cords yanked out at an angle, or simply age. Energy Safe Victoria says not to touch a loose, cracked or broken power point or switch; cover it and have a licensed electrician replace it.

Light fittings attract their own notes: missing diffusers, broken battens, a dead downlight with a brown ring on the ceiling, and exhaust fans clogged with lint. Outdoor points and lights that have taken years of weather often show cracked covers or water inside.

Since 29 March 2023, all power outlets and lighting circuits in a Victorian rental must be connected to both a switchboard-type circuit breaker and a switchboard-type safety switch. Older boards with only one or two safety switches can leave some circuits uncovered, and old fuse boards may have none.

Checks also find safety switches that don't trip when tested. With panel-and-fuse or federal fuse boards, the electrician may have to replace the whole switchboard, and then every circuit at the board needs circuit breaker protection, including cooking, hot water and air conditioning.

Smoke alarms are a regular finding: past their expiry date, missing from a storey or bedroom area, battery removed after a nuisance alarm, painted over, or placed beside a bathroom door where steam sets them off. In a home built after 1 August 1997, a battery-only alarm where a mains-powered one should be is a finding in itself.

Since 25 November 2025, every rental has needed an annual smoke alarm safety check, separate from the two-yearly electrical check. Alarms generally need replacing after ten years, in line with the manufacturer's specifications, so a set that went in together will expire together.

Not everything comes from the installation. Electricians often note power boards plugged into power boards behind the TV, double adaptors running heaters, extension leads run to a shed or under a door, and appliances with damaged cords. Portable appliances usually sit outside the fixed installation check, but obvious hazards get mentioned.

Unauthorised changes are another category: a light fitting swapped by a handy friend, a power point added in the garage, or garden lights wired by someone unlicensed. Energy Safe Victoria says electrical work isn't a DIY job, even small jobs like changing a light switch, so these need a licensed electrician to assess and put right.

Walk through between tenancies with the check in mind. Look at every power point and switch, press each safety switch's test button (Energy Safe Victoria suggests householders do this every three months), check alarm dates and look for scorch marks. Replace damaged covers then rather than waiting for a report, and ask your agent to note damaged points at routine inspections.

Tell renters how to report a damaged point or a tripping circuit. A dangerous electrical fault is an urgent repair, done immediately and paid for by the rental provider unless the renter caused it. Any repair after a check comes with a Certificate of Electrical Safety, which is a different document from the check report, so keep both on file.