What is a Certificate of Electrical Safety in Victoria?
A Certificate of Electrical Safety is the document a licensed electrician lodges after prescribed electrical work in Victoria. Here's what it covers, when you need one, and why it matters.
Quick answer
A Certificate of Electrical Safety — a CoES — is the document a licensed electrician completes and lodges with Energy Safe Victoria after doing electrical work in Victoria. It certifies that the work was carried out by a licensed person and tested to the AS/NZS 3000 wiring rules, and for higher-risk work it confirms an independent inspection was done. It’s not paperwork for its own sake: it’s the proof, when you need it, that the electrical work in your home is safe and legal. If a switchboard upgrade or a rewire is finished without one, the job isn’t properly complete.
What the certificate actually certifies
When an electrician does fixed electrical work — anything wired into the installation rather than plugged into a power point — Victorian law requires it to be certified. The Certificate of Electrical Safety records who did the work, what the work was, and that it meets the wiring rules. For the higher-risk category of work, it also records that a licensed electrical inspector checked it independently before it was energised.
That independent step is the part most people don’t realise exists. On prescribed work, the electrician who did the job isn’t the last set of eyes on it — a separate licensed inspector verifies it independently before it’s energised. That’s a genuine safety layer, and it’s the reason a CoES carries weight with insurers and buyers in a way a plain invoice never could.
The certificate also creates a paper trail that outlives the job. Years later, when nobody remembers who did the switchboard or when, the lodged certificate still says what was done, who did it, and that it met the standard. That record is quietly useful every time the history of a home’s wiring comes into question — a claim, a sale, a dispute with a managing agent — and it costs you nothing to keep.
Prescribed vs non-prescribed work
Victoria splits electrical work into two categories, and the type of certificate follows from which one your job is.
- Prescribed work is the higher-risk category: switchboard work, new or altered wiring, and other installations that require independent inspection. It gets a Certificate of Electrical Safety that is inspected. A switchboard upgrade is the everyday example — it’s prescribed work, so it’s inspected and certified.
- Non-prescribed work is lower-risk — a like-for-like replacement of an existing accessory, for instance. It still requires a certificate, but not an independent inspection.
You don’t have to work out which category your job falls into. A licensed electrician does, and tells you what to expect before the work starts. What matters from your side is knowing that the certificate should exist, and that you get your copy.
Why the certificate matters to you
For a homeowner in Preston or anywhere across Melbourne’s north, the certificate is worth keeping for three practical reasons.
Insurance. If there’s ever an electrical fault that leads to a fire or a claim, an insurer can ask for evidence that the work was done by a licensed electrician to standard. A Certificate of Electrical Safety is exactly that evidence. Work done without one, or by someone unlicensed, can complicate or undermine a claim.
Selling. A buyer’s building-and-pest or electrical inspector will look for signs of unpermitted or uncertified work. Being able to hand over certificates for the switchboard upgrade or the rewire removes a question mark that can otherwise stall a sale or drag down what a buyer is willing to offer.
Proof of compliance. For a landlord or property manager, the certificate is the record that a job was done properly — and any remedial work that comes out of a rental electrical safety check is itself certified this way. If you manage rentals, the property-manager rundown covers how the two-yearly checks fit a whole portfolio.
Who can issue one
Only a licensed electrician can carry out and certify the work. In Victoria that means a person or business holding a current Registered Electrical Contractor (REC) number issued by Energy Safe Victoria. This is the same licence that sits behind every legitimate electrical job in the state, and it’s checkable: Energy Safe Victoria keeps a public register you can search by name or number.
That checkability is worth using. If you’re getting quotes for electrical work and something feels off — no licence number offered, a quote that undercuts everyone else by a wide margin, a reluctance to talk about certification — the register is where you confirm who you’re dealing with. Yiannis holds REC 28523, and it appears on every certificate lodged with Energy Safe Victoria.
What to do next
If you’re booking electrical work, ask two questions up front: is this prescribed work that needs an inspected certificate, and will I get my copy of the Certificate of Electrical Safety? A licensed electrician will answer both without hesitation. Keep the certificate somewhere you can find it — with your insurance papers is sensible — because the day you need it is the day it matters most.
For switchboard work, rewires and any fixed electrical work across Greater Melbourne, Thunderman lodges the certificate as part of the job. Call Yiannis on 0434 254 474 or send a quick message for a free quote.
Sources
- Energy Safe Victoria — About Certificates of Electrical Safety
- Energy Safe Victoria — public register of electrical licences
- AS/NZS 3000:2018 — Wiring Rules
Common questions
What is a Certificate of Electrical Safety?
It's the document a licensed electrician completes and lodges with Energy Safe Victoria after carrying out prescribed electrical work — work that carries a higher risk, like a switchboard upgrade or new wiring. It certifies that the work was done to the AS/NZS 3000 wiring rules and, where required, independently inspected. It's your proof the job was done by a licensed person and tested to standard.
Do I get a copy of the Certificate of Electrical Safety?
Yes. For prescribed work, the electrician must give you a copy of the certificate. Keep it — it's what you show an insurer after a claim, a buyer's inspector when you sell, and a property manager or the regulator if compliance is ever questioned. If a job that should have one is finished without a certificate, the work isn't properly complete.
What's the difference between prescribed and non-prescribed electrical work?
Prescribed work is the higher-risk category — things like switchboard work, new or altered wiring, and installations that require an independent inspection — and it needs a Certificate of Electrical Safety that's inspected. Non-prescribed work is lower-risk, like replacing a like-for-like power point, and still needs a certificate but not an independent inspection. A licensed electrician tells you which applies to your job.
How do I check my electrician is licensed to issue one?
Only a licensed electrician — in Victoria, someone or a business holding a Registered Electrical Contractor (REC) number issued by Energy Safe Victoria — can carry out and certify the work. You can look the REC number up on the Energy Safe Victoria public register. Thunderman holds REC 28523, and it's on every certificate lodged.
Is a Certificate of Electrical Safety the same as a rental electrical safety check?
No, but they're related. A Certificate of Electrical Safety certifies a specific piece of installation work was done safely. The two-yearly rental electrical safety check is a periodic inspection of a rental's whole installation. A licensed electrician does both, and any remedial work found during a rental check is itself certified with a CoES.
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