Landlord Electrical Compliance Checklist
QLD Rental Properties
Everything QLD landlords and property managers need to know about electrical obligations in rental properties — and how to get it all sorted in one visit.
Everything QLD landlords and property managers need to know about electrical obligations in rental properties — and how to get it all sorted in one visit.
If you own a rental property in Queensland, you have a legal duty to ensure the electrical installation is safe for tenants. This is not optional. The Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act, the Electrical Safety Act, and Queensland’s smoke alarm legislation all impose specific requirements that landlords must meet — and ignorance is not a defence.
Getting it wrong can result in fines, insurance issues, and in the worst case, liability if a tenant is injured. The good news is that compliance is straightforward when you know what’s required and have a licensed electrician handle it properly.
Queensland’s smoke alarm laws are some of the strictest in Australia, and they apply to all rental properties. Since 1 January 2022, every rental property must have:
These alarms must be tested and maintained. As the landlord, you are responsible for ensuring they are compliant, not the tenant. Alarms must be checked at the start of each new tenancy and replaced before they reach their expiry date.
Safety switches — also called residual current devices (RCDs) — are mandatory in Queensland rental properties. Since 2018, all power circuits and lighting circuits must be protected by a safety switch. If your switchboard only has safety switches on some circuits, or none at all, the property is non-compliant.
RCDs detect current leakage and trip within milliseconds. They are the single most effective protection against electric shock, and in older properties with degraded wiring insulation, they are critical.
Installing safety switches is not a set-and-forget exercise. They need to be tested regularly to confirm they are operating correctly. Best practice is to have a licensed electrician conduct a professional RCD test at least every 12 months for rental properties. This involves both a push-button test and an instrument test to verify trip times are within specification.
Landlords should also instruct tenants on how to perform a basic push-button test quarterly, but the formal electrical test is the landlord’s responsibility.
The switchboard is the heart of your property’s electrical system. If the board still has ceramic fuses, rewireable fuses, or is showing signs of age — discolouration, scorch marks, overcrowded wiring — it needs attention. An outdated switchboard cannot support modern electrical loads and may not accommodate the safety switches required by law.
A full switchboard upgrade to a modern RCD-protected board is one of the best investments a landlord can make. It improves safety, satisfies compliance requirements, and future-proofs the property for additional circuits like air conditioning or EV chargers.
Beyond the specific requirements for smoke alarms and safety switches, landlords have a general duty to ensure the electrical installation is safe. This includes:
If a tenant reports an electrical fault, the landlord must arrange repairs by a licensed electrician within a reasonable timeframe. Electrical faults classified as emergencies — such as exposed wiring or a complete loss of power — must be addressed immediately.
At every change of tenancy, landlords must ensure smoke alarms are tested, cleaned, and compliant before the new tenant moves in. This is a condition of the tenancy agreement. Property managers typically coordinate this, but the obligation sits with the property owner.
It is also good practice to have a general electrical safety check at change of tenancy, covering power points, switches, safety switches, and the switchboard. This protects the landlord and gives the incoming tenant confidence that the property is safe.
We work with landlords and property managers across the Sunshine Coast to handle all electrical compliance in a single visit. One appointment covers:
No need to book multiple trades or coordinate separate visits. We understand what property managers need — a single, reliable point of contact who gets the job done properly and provides the paperwork to prove it.
Call Joel on 0418 416 481 to book a compliance visit, or send through an enquiry and we will get back to you promptly.
Smoke alarms must be replaced before they reach their expiry date, which is typically 10 years from manufacture. The expiry date is printed on the alarm. At every change of tenancy, landlords must test and clean all alarms and confirm they are within their service life.
Yes. Since 2018, Queensland legislation requires safety switches on all power and lighting circuits in rental properties. If your property only has safety switches on power circuits, additional RCDs need to be installed on lighting circuits to achieve compliance.
Absolutely. We work directly with property managers across the Sunshine Coast. We can coordinate access with tenants, complete all compliance work in a single visit, and provide the documentation your agency needs for their records.
The cost depends on what work is required. A straightforward compliance check with smoke alarm testing and RCD testing is at the lower end. If the property needs new smoke alarms, additional safety switches, or a switchboard upgrade, we will provide a clear quote before any work begins. No surprises.