The two-yearly electrical safety check for Victorian rentals

Quick answer

From 13 October 2026, every residential rental property in Victoria must have its electrical installation inspected and tested by a licensed electrician at least once every two years. The requirement covers all rental agreements — new and existing. Landlords must keep the record until the next check replaces it and give tenants a copy within seven days of a written request.

What the law actually requires

The two-yearly electrical safety check for Victorian rentals comes from the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021. The regulations set out three things a landlord must do:

1. Have the electrical installation checked by a licensed electrician at least once every two years.
2. Keep the record of that check until the next check replaces it.
3. Give the tenant a copy within seven days of a written request — and tell a prospective tenant the date of the most recent check, and any outstanding recommendations, before they sign.

That’s the core of it. The obligation sits with the landlord (or the managing agent acting on their behalf), not the tenant.

The rollout date that matters is 13 October 2026. From that date, all residential rental agreements fall under the requirement — not just leases signed after that point. If your rental property has never had a formal electrical safety check, or the last one was more than two years ago, it will be out of compliance from that date. Getting ahead of that now, rather than scrambling in October, is straightforward.

How often and when the clock resets

The two-year cycle runs from the date of the most recent check. If a check is done on, say, 1 September 2026, the next one is due by 1 September 2028.

If a property has had a check done before 13 October 2026, that check counts — provided it was carried out by a licensed electrician and the record has been kept. You don’t need to start the clock from zero just because the law is new; you need to confirm the existing record is complete and that the next check falls within two years of it.

For properties that have never been checked — which is a significant portion of Melbourne’s rental stock — the clock starts from whenever the first compliant check is completed.

What the check actually covers

The electrical safety check is an inspection and test of the property’s fixed electrical installation. That’s the wiring, the switchboard, the power points, the hardwired light fittings, and the safety switches (RCDs).

Energy Safe Victoria sets out what a licensed electrician is looking for: visible damage, signs of deterioration, whether the switchboard is in a safe condition, and whether safety switches are installed and functioning correctly.

A few things worth knowing:

• Safety switches (RCDs) protect against electric shock by cutting power within milliseconds if a fault is detected. Their presence and correct operation is a core part of the check. Under AS/NZS 3000 (the Wiring Rules), all new installations require safety switch protection on final subcircuits — older properties may not have them on every circuit, and that’s something the check will identify.
• The switchboard is often where older properties show their age. Ceramic rewireable fuses with no safety switch protection are a common finding in homes built before the 1990s. A licensed electrician will note what’s there and what it means for the property’s safety.
• Fixed appliances — hardwired ovens, hot water systems, exhaust fans — are part of the installation and may be included depending on scope.

The check is not a full audit of every appliance the tenant has plugged in. It’s focused on the building’s fixed electrical infrastructure.

Who is allowed to do it

Only a licensed electrician can perform the check. In Victoria, that means a person or business holding a current Registered Electrical Contractor (REC) number issued by Energy Safe Victoria.

This is not a job for a property manager, a handyperson, or a general maintenance contractor. The person doing the check must be able to inspect the installation, perform the required tests (including testing the RCDs), identify any defects, and produce a written record. That requires electrical trade qualifications and a current licence.

If the check turns up defects — faulty wiring, a non-functional safety switch, an unsafe switchboard condition — those must be rectified by a licensed electrician before the property is considered compliant. The check and the repair work can be done by the same contractor, which usually makes sense from a scheduling point of view.

For landlords in the northern suburbs, residential electrical work in Reservoir and the surrounding area is something Yiannis handles regularly — including rental compliance checks. The same goes for properties in Preston.

What gets recorded and kept

The electrician who carries out the check must provide a written record. Under the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021, that record needs to include:

• The address of the rental property
• The date the check was carried out
• The name and REC number of the electrician who performed it
• The results — what was checked, what was found, and whether any defects require rectification

Keep the record until the next check replaces it. If there’s a dispute or a compliance check, it’s the document that demonstrates you’ve met the obligation.

The tenant gets a copy within seven days of asking for it in writing. A prospective tenant must be told the date of the most recent check, and any outstanding recommendations, before signing a lease. This is a reasonable protection for tenants — they have a right to know the electrical installation in the home they’re renting has been looked at recently.

What to do if defects are found

If the check identifies defects, the landlord is responsible for arranging repairs. The timeline for those repairs will depend on the nature of the defect — a non-functional safety switch is a more urgent matter than a power point with a cracked cover.

In practice, a licensed electrician who finds a serious defect during a rental compliance check is obliged to make the installation safe, which may mean isolating the faulty circuit before leaving the property. Less urgent defects will be documented and require follow-up work.

For landlords, the sensible approach is to book the check early, allow time for any follow-up work, and have the records squared away well before October 2026. Rushing a compliance check at the last minute — particularly if repairs turn out to be needed — puts you in a difficult position with both the regulations and your tenant.

For landlords managing residential properties in Greater Melbourne, Thunderman carries out rental electrical safety checks and can handle any remedial work that comes out of them. Yiannis holds REC 28523 with Energy Safe Victoria, so the records he provides will include the correct licence details.

What to do next

Check when your rental property last had its electrical installation inspected by a licensed electrician. If it was more than two years ago, or if it’s never been done, now is the right time to get it on the calendar.

Make sure you keep the record until the next check replaces it, and give your tenant their copy within seven days of a written request.

If you’d rather a licensed sparky handle it, give Yiannis a call on 0434 254 474 or send a quick message for a free quote.

Managing a rental portfolio rather than a single property? Thunderman can review the whole portfolio at once and get the checks cleared ahead of October. For the plain-language summary, see the Victorian rental electrical safety checklist.

Sources

• Energy Safe Victoria — rental electrical safety checks ↗
• Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021 (Vic) — electrical safety checks ↗
• AS/NZS 3000:2018 — Wiring Rules