Rental electrical safety checks in Sale
The two-yearly electrical safety check for Sale rentals: what AS/NZS 3019 covers, the RCD minimum standard, records, smoke alarm checks and the price band.
A Victorian rental provider must have every electrical installation, fixture and fitting in the property checked by a licensed or registered electrician at least once every 2 years. The check follows AS/NZS 3019, the periodic assessment standard, and the electrician gives the provider a written record of what was found and fixed. If no check has been done in the 2 years before a renter moves in, one has to be done as soon as possible.
This site takes the enquiry and hands it to an independent electrical contractor working in your area; that contractor carries out the check, writes the report and quotes any repairs in its own name. See the about page for how the referral works.
What does the two-yearly rental electrical check involve?
Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) sets out the duty on its rental providers gas and electrical safety page, last updated 14 October 2026. The Residential Tenancies Act 1997 and the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021 set the content of the check, which has to follow AS/NZS 3019. Because it covers every installation, fixture and fitting, expect the electrician to look at:
- The switchboard, its circuit breakers and its safety switches (RCDs), including a test of each RCD.
- Power points and light fittings throughout, inside and out.
- Fixed appliances wired into the house, such as an oven, cooktop or hot water unit.
- Cables that can be seen in the roof space, under the floor or along outbuildings.
Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) says the same thing in shorter form on its tenants and renting laws page: the check covers all electrical installations, fixtures and fittings, and only a licensed or registered electrician may do it.
What safety switch standard must a rental meet?
From 29 March 2023, every lighting circuit and power outlet in a Victorian rental has to run through two devices on the board: a circuit breaker meeting AS/NZS 3000, and a residual current device of the switchboard kind. ESV puts it plainly for tenants: all switchboards must have RCDs fitted.
Older rentals in Sale with a fuse board, or with one RCD covering only the power circuits, often fail this part. The fix ranges from adding RCDs to a sound board through to replacing the board, and the safety switches page explains that choice. Get the repair quoted in writing straight after the check so it can be approved quickly.
Who keeps the record, and who can see it?
The paperwork matters as much as the testing. CAV and ESV set out these duties:
| Duty | What it means for the rental provider |
|---|---|
| Disclose before signing | Tell a new renter the date of the last electrical check and any outstanding recommendations |
| Keep the record | Hold the most recent check record until the next one replaces it |
| Show it on request | Give the renter a copy within 7 days of a written request |
| Arrange it on time | Every 2 years, or as soon as possible if none in the 2 years before move in |
CAV lists what the electrician’s record must contain: the electrician’s name and licence or registration number, the date, the results including repairs needed and what was done, and a report prepared to AS/NZS 3019. ESV adds that the landlord, proprietor or agent keeps the record.
Is the rental check the same as a Certificate of Electrical Safety?
No. ESV explains on its certificates page for consumers that a Certificate of Electrical Safety is not the right form for the rental check, and that a certificate search will not find rental safety reports. You need to keep the report yourself. A certificate is still required for any repair or maintenance work the electrician carries out as a result of the check. The certificate guide covers that document in full.
What about smoke alarms in a rental?
From 25 November 2025, annual smoke alarm safety checks became mandatory for every Victorian rental, according to CAV’s smoke alarm page. The rental provider must make sure each alarm is correctly installed, working, fitted with batteries and tested at least once every 12 months. At the start of a rental agreement the renter must get written information on how each alarm works, how to test it, and their duty not to tamper with it and to report a fault.
A broken smoke alarm is an urgent repair, and so are a dangerous electrical fault and a failure of the electricity supply. Many providers book the yearly alarm test on the same visit as the electrical check in the years the two fall together. The build-date rules that decide what kind of alarm a house needs are on the smoke alarms page.
What will a careful electrician do during the check?
A good provider treats the check as a test, not a walk-through. Expect them to:
- Ask for the last check report and any certificates for recent work.
- Need access to every room, the roof space and any sheds, granny flats or bungalows on the title.
- Test each RCD and record its result.
- Note defects in order of risk, with a clear line between what fails the standard and what is advice.
- Make safe anything dangerous on the spot, or isolate it and tell you before leaving.
- Leave a report you can hand to a renter without editing.
A careful electrician will not sign off a check without testing the RCDs, will not date a report for a visit that did not happen, and will not leave a known dangerous fault live.
Gas is a separate job. CAV requires a gas safety check every 2 years too, by a licensed or registered gasfitter, and gasfitters are licensed by the Building and Plumbing Commission, not by ESV.
How much does a rental electrical safety check cost?
A rental electrical check is priced at $180 to $350 in The Quote Yard’s regional guide, dated 28 October 2026, and house size is the main thing that moves it. Repairs found during the check are priced on top. The most common one in older properties is adding a safety switch, which the same guide lists at $200 to $450 for each switch where the board has room. A house with a granny flat or a large shed has more circuits to test and lands higher in the band.
If you manage several properties, request a price for a batch of rental checks and list each address, so one provider can group them.
What is different about rentals around Sale?
The duty is the same whether the rental is an older house in Sale or Maffra, a newer home on the edge of town, or a holiday house at Loch Sport let out for part of the year. A house that has sat empty may have rodent damage to cables, so mention any long vacancy. Properties on large blocks often have outbuildings wired off the house board, and those count as part of the installation. AusNet runs the electricity network across this part of Gippsland, but everything from the meter into the house, and any private poles on a rural block, is the owner’s side. The Sale area page has more on the local network.
Renters who think a check is overdue should raise it with the rental provider or agent first, rather than booking an electrician themselves.
Next step
For a rental check quote, give the provider the property address and town, the number of bedrooms, any granny flat, bungalow or shed with power, the date of the last check if you have it, and whether the board has safety switches. A photo of the switchboard with the door open saves a question. Then send your rental safety check enquiry and an independent local electrician will be in touch to price it.
Frequently asked questions
- How often must a Victorian rental have an electrical safety check?
At least every 2 years, carried out by a licensed or registered electrician. If the last check is more than 2 years old when a new renter moves in, the rental provider must arrange one as soon as possible rather than waiting for the next cycle.
- Can a renter book the electrical safety check themselves?
The check is the rental provider's duty, so a renter should ask the provider or agent rather than paying for one. A renter who thinks a check is overdue can ask in writing for a copy of the latest record, which the provider must hand over within 7 days.
- Will the check be listed on the Energy Safe certificate search?
No. Energy Safe Victoria says its Certificate of Electrical Safety search does not cover rental safety reports, so the only copy may be the one the electrician gives you. Store it with the lease file and keep it until the next check replaces it.
- What happens if the electrician finds a dangerous fault during the check?
A dangerous electrical fault in a rental is an urgent repair, so the provider must act on it at once. The electrician should make the fault safe or isolate it on the day and give a written quote for the repair. Any repair work then needs its own Certificate of Electrical Safety.
- Does the rental check include the gas appliances?
No. Gas has its own 2 yearly safety check, done by a licensed or registered gasfitter with the right endorsement for servicing gas appliances. If the property has gas, book the two checks separately, though some owners line them up in the same week.