A rental provider's maintenance calendar for safety and comfort

Since 25 November 2025, every Victorian rental has needed an annual smoke alarm safety check, and rental providers must make sure alarms are correctly installed, working, fitted with batteries and tested at least every 12 months in line with the manufacturer's instructions. That's the first date.

The other two are the electrical and gas safety checks, each every 2 years. Under the current rules they apply to agreements entered into after 29 March 2021. Consumer Affairs Victoria lists a change from 13 October 2026: rental providers and their agents must arrange both checks every 2 years for all rental agreements, whatever date the agreement started. If one of your properties has an older periodic agreement and has never had them, that's the first job.

The electrical check is done by a licensed electrician and the gas check by a gasfitter endorsed for Type A appliance servicing. Separate trades, but nothing stops you booking them in the same week, and lining the dates up makes the calendar simpler for every year after.

Autumn is heating season's lead-in, and a heater that stops is on CAV's urgent repairs list. Laverton's July mean minimum is 5.2 °C, so a dead heater in winter means an immediate repair at the busiest time of year for every trade.

Energy Safe Victoria recommends servicing gas heaters at least every two years, and for ducted gas heaters a carbon monoxide test at the outlets in every room. The rental gas safety check includes testing to confirm every Type A appliance has been serviced in line with AS 4575, so in a check year, book the service and the check together. Ask the renter to clean reverse-cycle filters, or include them in a service.

Fire Rescue Victoria reports that winter had the most preventable residential fire deaths in Victoria in 2025, which makes autumn a sensible time for the annual smoke alarm check too.

Winter is about response. Decide in advance what your agent can approve for an urgent heating or electrical repair without waiting for you, because urgent repairs must be done immediately. A note of each heater's make, model and age saves a wasted visit.

It's also the right time to think about 2027. From 1 March 2027, when a rental's fixed heating fails and can't be repaired, it must be replaced with energy-efficient fixed electric heating with an outlet in the main living area. If the heater in a property is old and has needed repeat repairs, plan its replacement for a vacancy or for spring, not for a July breakdown.

A cooling appliance you supplied that isn't working is also an urgent repair, and Laverton averages 27 days a year at or above 30 °C, mostly between December and February. Victoria's Department of Health advises checking air conditioners work before extreme heat, getting them serviced if needed, and keeping filters, pads and vents clean.

Book air conditioning servicing in spring at the interval the manufacturer recommends, and have evaporative coolers serviced and their pads checked before the first hot spell. The Victorian Government suggests cleaning reverse-cycle filters about twice a year, which lines up neatly with an autumn and spring visit.

Once the cooling is sorted, summer can suit electrical work. A two-yearly electrical check, repairs from the last report or a switchboard upgrade are easier to schedule when nobody needs the heater, provided the renter is told and the outage is agreed in advance.

Use the electrical report to plan. The record should include the electrician's name and licence or registration number, the date, the results including any repairs needed and what was done, and a report under section 2 of AS/NZS 3019. A Certificate of Electrical Safety isn't the record of the check itself, but one must be issued for any repair work.

From 25 November 2025, a rental property must meet the minimum standards before it's advertised, so a vacancy is when to fix a non-compliant heater, an old fuse board or a missing safety switch.

Before a new agreement is signed, CAV says the rental provider must disclose the date of the last gas and electrical safety checks and any outstanding recommendations. On or before the start, the renter must get written information on how each smoke alarm works and how to test it. Test the alarms between renters and check their expiry dates; the Building and Plumbing Commission advises replacing them generally after ten years.

From 1 March 2027 a new agreement also triggers the cooling standard, under which energy-efficient fixed cooling must be installed in the main living area at the start of the agreement.

Keep each property's checks, service reports and certificates together, newest on top. CAV says a copy of the most recent gas or electrical safety check must be given to the renter within 7 days of a written request, so the agent should be able to find them quickly.

A simple register per property covers most of it: smoke alarm check date and alarm expiry dates, electrical check due date, gas check due date, heater and air conditioner service dates, and the age of each heater, cooler and hot water unit.