New Electrical Safety Obligations for Rental Providers

Are you a landlord or rental provider who has a rental property in Dandenong, Melbourne, Australia? If yes, it’s imperative that you follow regulatory compliance rules about electrical services offered in your rental property.

In this article, we discuss what electrical safety obligations you need to fulfil and where you can find a reliable electrician in Dandenong.

Amendments to Victoria’s laws for rental properties

Victoria’s rental laws were updated and the amended laws came into force on 29 March 2021. There were around 130 reforms within the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021 law. Of these, some pertain to the Gas and Electrical Checks that every rental provider needs to get done by domestic electricians and commercial electricians in Dandenong.

These new electrical safety obligations are mandatory for –

• Any rental agreement undertaken after 29 March 2021.
• Any rental agreements done prior to 29 March 2021, but which exceed a term of 5 years and extend beyond 29 March 2021.

In order to meet these obligations, you will need to schedule an electrical safety check and obtain a report of the results to show tenants and regulators, when necessary. The record of the safety check could be –

• A checklist of safety tests done and recommended actions for improvement from the electrician.
• A certificate of safety compliance by your electrician in Dandenong.
• A comprehensive Electrical Installation audit report that provides the electrical health of your rental property.

What are the safety obligations you need to fulfil?

According to the new reforms, you will need to contact an electrician in Dandenong to conduct the following safety checks for all electrical fittings in your rental property –

• Get all electrical installations and fittings on the premises checked by a qualified electrician, once every 2 years.
• Conduct any and all repair works to electrical fittings on the property, by a licensed electrician or an REC.
• Implement all replacements and upgrades (such as switchboard upgrades) as necessary to ensure all electrical installations meet current safety standards.
• Urgently repair any faulty safety devise that makes the property unsafe.
• Ensure the rental property is up-to-date with all repairs and is in occupiable condition.
• Get the property vetted to ensure it complies with the basic safety requirements prior to any tenant moving in.

Responsibilities of rental providers in Dandenong towards tenants

• Follow all the mandates according to the “Section 4 of AS/NZS 3019 “Electrical installations—Periodic verification” as part of the safety checks.
• Arrange for an electrical safety check by commercial electricians or domestic electricians in Dandenong at the earliest. Especially if they haven’t been done before the renter moved in, during the previous 2 years.
• Obtain and keep a record of the electrical safety check from your hired electrician in Dandenong. This record should contain –
  • Business name, address and contact information.
  • License number of the electricians who conducted the electrical safety check.
  • Date of the electrical safety check.
  • Results of the checks – such as problems discovered, what changes are necessary and actions that the electricians have recommended to the rental provider.
  • A final confirmation that all the electrical installations and fittings have been checked for safety compliance and are indeed safe to use.