Upgrading an older rental: which electrical and heating jobs come first

An older rental, say a post-war brick veneer in Altona, Laverton or Sunshine that's had a couple of owners, usually comes with a long list: an original switchboard, a tired gas wall heater, old smoke alarms, halogen downlights, a bathroom fan that hums and does nothing. Not everything can be done at once, so put each item through three tests.

First, is it required now? Minimum standards and safety check findings aren't optional. Second, is it a safety risk, whether or not a rule names it? Third, how much does it change daily life for the renter, and does it affect what you can charge or how quickly the property lets? Jobs that pass the first two tests go first, whatever the third says.

Start with the last electrical and gas safety check reports and the minimum standards. A property that doesn't meet the minimum standards is on Consumer Affairs Victoria's urgent repairs list, along with a dangerous electrical fault and a smoke alarm that isn't working. Urgent repairs must be done immediately, so these aren't really upgrades at all.

In older homes the usual gaps are the switchboard and the heater. Since 29 March 2023, power outlets and lighting circuits in a rental must be connected to circuit breakers and safety switches, and every rental needs a fixed heater in good working order in the main living area, energy efficient for agreements from 29 March 2023.

If the board still has ceramic fuses or is a panel-and-fuse or federal fuse board, it usually leads the list. Consumer Affairs Victoria says with these older boards the electrician may have to replace the whole switchboard, putting circuit breaker protection on every circuit, cooking, hot water and air conditioning included.

The safety case is strong too. Energy Safe Victoria says a safety switch detects a problem that may put people at risk and turns the power off within 0.03 of a second. It also says fire brigades respond to more than 300 domestic electrical fires each year, many caused by old wiring that has degraded or can't cope with modern equipment, and suggests owners of houses over 30 years old have the wiring checked.

Do the board before the jobs that add load, such as a reverse-cycle system or heat pump hot water, so the new circuits go onto a board with room for them. WorkSafe Victoria lists switchboards and their backing boards as a typical location for asbestos in buildings built or renovated before the late 1980s, so have an old board assessed first.

Smoke alarms are cheap relative to their importance. Rental providers must keep every alarm correctly installed, working, fitted with batteries and tested at least every 12 months, and every rental has needed an annual check since 25 November 2025. Homes built before 1 August 1997 can have battery alarms, but the Building and Plumbing Commission advises replacing alarms generally after ten years, and many older rentals have alarms well past that.

Hardwiring an older house isn't required by its age, but it's worth considering when the board is being replaced and an electrician is already there. A hardwired alarm keeps its mains supply if the backup battery runs down, which suits a rental where you can't check the batteries yourself.

A heater that meets today's standard can stay. But 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. An old heater with a patchy service history is a replacement waiting for the worst possible week.

Safety adds weight. Energy Safe Victoria says open-flued gas heaters can spill carbon monoxide more easily than other types, and banned the sale of old open-flued space heaters without safety shutdown features from 1 August 2022. If an older rental has one, it moves up the list.

The usual replacement is a reverse-cycle split in the living area. Energy Rating says reverse-cycle units move 3 to 5 units of heat for each unit of electricity, against about 1 for a standard electric heater, and CAV's guide says one reverse-cycle air conditioner can meet both the heating and cooling standards. From 1 March 2027 a new agreement triggers the cooling standard anyway, so one unit covers two obligations.

Once the required and safety jobs are done, spend on what makes the property better to live in. Rooms and hallways must have enough light to be usable, and swapping old halogen downlights for LEDs improves the light and cuts heat in the ceiling. A bathroom exhaust fan that actually clears steam reduces condensation and mould complaints. Ceiling fans in bedrooms make summer nights easier and cost little to run.

These are good vacancy jobs and easy to group. One electrician visit for lights, fans and an extra power point in the kitchen is better than three call-outs spread across a tenancy.