Rental electrical safety checks, Brunswick
Rent rolls, not one property at a time.
Victoria requires an electrical safety check on rental properties every two years. Send through a list of addresses and we will work out the run, deal with the tenants ourselves, and send the paperwork straight back.
What gets checked
The electrical installation, top to bottom.
Energy Safe Victoria describes the rental safety check as covering electrical switchboards, wiring and fittings, carried out by a licensed electrician every two years. In practice that is this list.
Enclosure, main switch, condition, capacity and whether anything has been added to it over the years without being recorded.
Whether every circuit has one, whether each is sized for the cable behind it, and whether any rewirable fuses are still in service.
RCD protection across power and lighting circuits, and trip times tested rather than assumed from the label on the front.
Polarity, earthing and physical condition. Cracked plates, loose sockets and outlets that have been painted into the wall all show up here.
Fittings, switches, exhaust fans and heat lamps. Bathroom and laundry fittings in older properties are a common find.
Main earth, water and gas bonding. Often disturbed by a plumbing replacement years earlier and never put back.
Accessible cabling, junctions, outdoor points, sheds and anything obviously added by somebody who should not have.
What was checked, what was found, and a certificate of electrical safety for any work carried out. Sent through in a form you can file.
The Victorian rules, plainly
Two dates that changed rentals.
Consumer Affairs Victoria states that rental providers who entered into a new rental agreement after 29 March 2021 must have all electrical installations and fittings checked by a licensed electrician at least once every two years. That also applies where a fixed-term agreement rolled over into a periodic agreement after that date.
The electrical safety rental minimum standard then commenced on 29 March 2023. Rental properties must have modern switchboards fitted with circuit breakers and electrical safety switches.
Between those two, a lot of older Brunswick stock that was perfectly normal a decade ago now needs work before it goes on the market.
- Checks at least once every two years
- Carried out by a licensed electrician
- Covers switchboards, wiring and fittings
- Modern switchboard with circuit breakers
- Safety switches on power and lighting
- Records kept by the rental provider
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Switchboard upgrades
Where the check finds ceramic fuses or missing RCD protection, this is the work that follows it.
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Emergency call-outs
A tenant with no power on a Sunday. Ring us rather than waiting for Monday.
Working with agents and owners
The check is the easy part.
What actually costs an office time is access, chasing tenants, and getting a straight answer on what the property needs.
Most property managers we work with are not short of electricians. They are short of one who will take a list of twelve addresses, sort the order out, contact the tenants directly, and come back with a single set of records rather than twelve separate phone calls.
So that is how we run it. Send the addresses through and we handle the scheduling and the tenant contact from there. If something needs fixing we quote it separately, in writing, so you can put it in front of the owner without translating it first.
What tends to turn up in older Brunswick rentals
Brunswick has a lot of terraces, interwar brick, subdivided houses and converted warehouses in the rental pool. Each one has usually had work done piecemeal by different people over decades. The common finds are old ceramic fuses, no RCD protection on the power circuits, a switchboard with no room left in it, poorly labelled or unlabelled circuits, damaged power points, bathroom and outdoor fittings that have gone past their life, and a circuit or two that trips under load.
None of that is exotic. It is just what happens to a house that has been rented and renovated in turns since the 1970s.
When the check finds something
We tell you what we found, what it means, and what it costs to put right, in that order. Some things are safety items that need doing before the property is tenanted again. Some are worth doing while we are already on site because it saves a second visit. Some can wait, and we will say so rather than quoting everything at once.
Where the fix is a board, it is usually a switchboard upgrade rather than a patch, because a board without room in it cannot take the RCDs the standard now expects.
Smoke alarms, gas and the rest of the check list
Rental compliance in Victoria covers more than electrical. We do the electrical side, including hard-wired smoke alarm work where that sits on a circuit we are already dealing with. Gas and other checks sit outside our licence, and we will say so rather than quietly sub-contracting them.
Certificates and records
Energy Safe Victoria requires a certificate of electrical safety to record electrical work carried out by a registered electrical contractor or licensed electrician. Where work is done as part of or after a check, you get one. It goes to you, not into a filing cabinet at our end, because the record belongs to the rental provider.
We are REC 35681. If your office keeps a compliance register, that is the number to put against the job.
How it works
Four steps, no chasing.
The whole point is that the office does as little of this as possible.
Send the addresses
One property or a whole rent roll. A list in an email is enough to start with.
We arrange access
We contact the tenants directly and book times that suit them, so the office is not the go-between.
The check
Switchboard, circuits, outlets, lighting, earthing and fittings, tested and recorded rather than glanced at.
Records and any quote
Findings and certificates sent through, with a separate written quote for anything that needs work.
Reviews
Maz was excellent. He was punctual, confirming time and tools to bring. He was very friendly and professional. We will definitely be continuing to hire him for our future electrical needs.Pheobe, Melbourne
Absolutely wonderful job done by Mas, he was efficient, so neat and precise and you can see how much he cares about the work he completes.Gabriella, Fitzroy
Masaki is an extremely reliable electrician, with a very high standard of work, at a reasonable price. I would highly recommend Miki Electrical Group.Chloe, Mill Park
Masaki has a high work ethic and professionalism in his approach to his work and his clients.Darren, Viewbank
Common questions
Before you ring.
If yours is not here, ask on the phone. It is quicker than typing it out.
Do rental properties in Brunswick need an electrical safety check?
Many do. Consumer Affairs Victoria states that rental providers who entered into a new agreement after 29 March 2021 must have all electrical installations and fittings checked by a licensed electrician at least once every two years. If you are not sure where your property sits, check the agreement date or ask your property manager.
Who is allowed to do the check?
A licensed electrician. Energy Safe Victoria describes the check as covering switchboards, wiring and fittings, carried out every two years by a licensed electrician. We are REC 35681.
How long does a check take?
A standard house or unit is usually under an hour and a half, depending on size, access and what turns up. Larger properties and ones with a lot of added circuits take longer.
Does the tenant need to be home?
Somebody needs to let us in, but it does not have to be the office. We contact tenants directly and arrange a time with them, which is normally the fastest way to get it done.
What happens if you find a problem?
We explain what it is, whether it needs doing now, and what it costs, in writing. Common outcomes are switchboard work, safety switch installation, replacing damaged outlets or fittings, and repairing a lighting or power fault.
Can you handle a whole rent roll?
Yes. That is the part we are set up for. Send the addresses through and we will sort the order, the access and the paperwork.
Do I get a certificate?
Where electrical work is carried out, yes. A certificate of electrical safety records work done by a registered electrical contractor or licensed electrician, and it goes to you to keep with the property records.
Do you only service Brunswick?
No. We are based in Coburg and cover Brunswick East, Brunswick West, Coburg, Pascoe Vale, Carlton North, Fitzroy North, Northcote, Thornbury, Preston and the suburbs around them, as well as broader Melbourne.
- Electrician Brunswick
- Electrician Coburg
- Electrician Preston
- Electrician Fitzroy
- Electrician Northcote
Rental work runs through Brunswick East, Brunswick West, Coburg, Pascoe Vale, Carlton North, Princes Hill, Parkville, Fitzroy North, Northcote, Thornbury, Preston, Moonee Ponds and Essendon.
If your rent roll spreads wider than that, ring and tell us where. Batching by area is what makes this work, so it is worth a conversation rather than a guess.
Get in touch
Send the addresses through.
One property or a whole rent roll. Tell us roughly how many and where, and we will come back with timing.
- Call or text
- 0492 949 017
- Based in
- Coburg VIC 3058
- Licence
- REC 35681