What affects the cost of a rental electrical safety check?

Every price starts from the same scope. Energy Safe Victoria says rental providers must have all electrical switchboards, wiring and fittings checked every two years by a licensed electrician, and the check must follow section 4 of AS/NZS 3019:2022, the standard for periodic assessment. From 13 October 2026, the two-yearly rule applies to all rental agreements, whatever date they started.

Most of the cost is time: inspecting the switchboard, testing each safety switch, checking power points, switches and light fittings room by room, testing circuits and writing up the results. Anything that adds rooms, circuits or obstacles adds time, which is why two offers for what sounds like the same house can differ.

A one-bedroom unit with a single board is a short job. A four-bedroom house with a sub-board in the garage, a powered shed, a granny flat or garden lighting has far more to test and inspect. Each extra switchboard brings its own safety switches and circuits, so it adds almost as much as a small second property.

Older homes take longer for a different reason. Wiring from several eras, unlabelled circuits and add-ons from past renovations all need tracing before the results can be recorded properly. A neatly labelled board in a newer estate home usually moves faster than a much-altered weatherboard in Yarraville.

Lost access is the most common reason a check runs longer than planned. A switchboard behind a renter's wardrobe, a locked shed with no key, or a room the renter asked to skip can turn one visit into two. Give the renter proper notice of the date and confirm keys for every outbuilding.

Paperwork speeds things up too. The previous check record, any Certificates of Electrical Safety for work since then and a note of known problems let the electrician start with the history instead of rediscovering it. If the last record listed defects that were never fixed, say so up front.

The check and any repairs it leads to are separate pieces of work. The written record should give the electrician's name and licence or registration number, the date and the results, including any repairs needed and what was done. Energy Safe Victoria says a Certificate of Electrical Safety isn't the right document for the check itself, but one must be issued for any repair.

Many owners pre-approve small fixes, such as replacing a cracked power point or a failed light switch, so they're done on the visit. Larger items are priced separately. The rental provider pays for repairs unless the renter caused the problem, so a clear line between the check and the repairs makes the invoice easy to follow.

Since 25 November 2025, every Victorian rental needs an annual smoke alarm safety check. Booking it alongside the electrical check means one access arrangement and one trip, although each check should have its own record. A hard-wired alarm must be installed by a qualified electrician, so any that need replacing can be sorted on the same visit.

Gas is different. The gas safety check has to be done by a licensed or registered gasfitter endorsed for Type A appliance servicing, so it stays a separate booking even when it falls in the same month.

Ask each electrician the same questions, so you're comparing the same job rather than a headline number. A low price that leaves out the shed, skips the written record or assumes nothing will be found isn't a like-for-like offer.

Whoever you choose, the check must be done by a licensed or registered electrician working for a registered electrical contractor. Ask for the price before work starts, and for anything beyond the repairs you've approved to be explained and priced first.