Residential rental providers across Victoria are being reminded to ensure their rental properties meet the new electrical safety minimum standards which come into effect on March 29, 2023.
The electrical safety standard requires rental properties to have modern-style switchboards, with circuit breakers and electrical safety switches installed.
To ease the burden, Kay & Burton Concierge is able to assist residential rental providers by referring them to a curated network of qualified professionals who can perform the required checks and upgrade the switchboard if required. Using the Concierge service comes at no additional cost and is not limited to Kay & Burton clients.
For those who currently have a rental property under Kay & Burton’s management, if your property requires a compliance check or switchboard upgrade, your property manager will be in contact.
“New legislation has resulted in additional responsibilities for owners of investment properties, but thankfully our Kay & Burton property managers are working diligently with our qualified trades to ensure our owners’ properties meet electrical safety standards by the deadline,” Kay & Burton Director of Property Management Cath Stubbings says.
Since the Residential Tenancies Regulations were introduced in 2021, Kay & Burton has been working through a compliance audit to ensure all properties meet the new requirements. Any rental provider who had the essential safety check completed between March 2021 and now, would have been informed if a switchboard upgrade was required.
According to the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV), rental providers must ensure the switchboard of the rental property is compliant with the standard at the time a renter moves in. Renters can also request an urgent repair to make the rental property meet the standard any time after they move in.
The standard applies to rental agreements that:
- started after 29 March 2021
- started before 29 March 2021 and rolled over into periodic agreements on or after 29 March 2021.
Rolling over to a periodic agreement, or month-to-month tenancy, is considered starting a new agreement, even if occupancy began before 29 March 2021.
“Under electrical services regulations, after completing any work the electrician must issue a safety compliance certificate confirming that the work was conducted in accordance with relevant safety laws,” the REIV states.
To arrange a compliance check for your rental property, please call your Property Manager or Kay & Burton Concierge during business hours on 03 9825 2000.
For further information on the new electrical minimum standards or renting laws that were introduced across Victoria in 2021, please call your Property Manager or follow the Consumer Affairs Victoria link here.