By next month, Victorian landlords have been required to collectively spend tens of millions of dollars on switching their switchboards to a new minimum standard.
The new minimum standard for switchboard upgrades is the result of a push by the Victorian government to improve the safety of rental properties. The new standard requires all rental properties to have a switchboard that meets the latest safety requirements.
This includes things like safety switches that protect against electric shock, circuit breakers to protect against overloads, and surge protection devices to protect against power surges.
The Victorian government estimates the switchboard upgrade will save lives and prevent significant damage to properties. While the upgrades are expensive, they are essential to protect renters and landlords.
All rental properties must have modern-style switchboards with circuit breakers and electrical safety switches installed by March 29 in order to comply with the new electrical safety standard.
From January 2021 to December 2022, Detector Inspector completed a total of 81,440 electrical safety checks, of which 15,489 had a switchboard that did not meet the minimum rental standards.
However, due to the tight deadline to make the switch before it becomes illegal to rent their properties out, industry capacity to get the work done on time may become an issue.
If a rental property does not meet the minimum standards, Consumer Affairs Victoria advises that a renter can end the lease agreement before moving in or request an urgent repair to be done immediately at any time after moving in.