Compliance · 14 August 2026
Electrical safety checks for Queensland rentals explained
Queensland landlords have clear electrical duties: safety switches, compliant smoke alarms and prompt repairs when something goes wrong. Here is what the law requires, what is simply good practice and how to stay on top of it between tenancies.
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Managing a rental?
We check safety switches, smoke alarms and visible wiring between tenancies and leave you a written record. Smoke alarms from $149.
Safety inspectionsKey takeaways
Renting out a home in Queensland comes with a short list of electrical rules that are easy to miss. None are complicated, but they apply at specific moments: when a lease starts or renews, before a tenant moves in and whenever something breaks. Getting them right protects your tenants and your investment, and keeps your insurer and property manager happy.
This guide is written for landlords and property managers. Tenants will find it useful too, especially the section on repairs.
What Queensland law requires
Requirement
When it applies
What it means
Safety switches
Every rental property
Power point circuits must be protected by a safety switch under the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013.
Smoke alarms
Every new or renewed lease since 1 January 2022
Interconnected photoelectric alarms in every required spot, tested and cleaned within 30 days before each tenancy.
Emergency repairs
Any time during a tenancy
A dangerous electrical fault is an emergency repair and must be fixed promptly by a licensed electrician.
Minimum housing standards
All leases since 1 September 2024
The property and its fixtures must be safe and in good repair.
Information current at August 2026. Check the Electrical Safety Office and Residential Tenancies Authority guidance for your situation.
Safety switches in rental properties
A safety switch, or RCD, cuts the power in a fraction of a second if current leaks to earth, for example through a person. Queensland requires one on the power point circuits of every rental home. Many older investment properties have a single safety switch covering the power points only, which meets that minimum. The current wiring rules, AS/NZS 3000, call for safety switches on every circuit in new work, lighting included, and that is what we recommend.
If a board has no safety switches at all, we can usually retrofit them from $450. Boards with ceramic fuses are better replaced. Read five signs your switchboard needs upgrading before you budget.
Testing at changeover
Press the test button on each safety switch at every changeover. It should trip instantly. Record the date and the result. The Electrical Safety Office recommends this test every three months, so it is worth asking tenants to do it too.
Smoke alarms for rentals
Rentals have been on the full smoke alarm standard since 1 January 2022. Every alarm must be photoelectric, less than 10 years old and interconnected, with one in every bedroom, in hallways that connect bedrooms and on every level. Alarms must be tested and cleaned within 30 days before each tenancy starts. Our guide to Queensland smoke alarm laws covers the detail, and we supply and install compliant alarms from $149 per alarm.
Repairs and what tenants should report
Under Queensland tenancy law, a dangerous electrical fault is an emergency repair, and so is a failure of the electricity supply to the home. Tenants should report it straight away to the landlord or property manager, who must arrange a licensed electrician. If nobody can be reached, tenants may be able to arrange the repair themselves within set limits. The Residential Tenancies Authority explains the process.
Ask tenants to report these as soon as they notice them:
A sensible check between tenancies
Queensland does not set a fixed electrical inspection cycle for rentals. A short check at changeover is still good practice, and it gives you a written record if anything is ever questioned. Our rental checks cover:
Fixing small issues at changeover is cheaper and easier than an after-hours call-out in the middle of a lease, which starts from $189.
Need a hand?
When to call a licensed electrician
Call a licensed electrician for any electrical repair in a rental, for safety switch or switchboard work and for hardwired smoke alarms. In Queensland, landlords and tenants must not do work on fixed wiring themselves. If a tenant reports sparking, a burning smell or a shock, treat it as an emergency and call straight away.
Rental safety FAQ
Do Queensland landlords need regular electrical inspections?
There is no fixed inspection cycle in Queensland. Landlords must have safety switches on power point circuits, keep smoke alarms compliant and fix dangerous faults promptly. A check between tenancies is good practice.
Who pays for electrical repairs in a rental?
The landlord, unless the tenant or their guests caused the damage. Repairs to fixed wiring must be done by a licensed electrician.
Can a tenant change a light fitting or power point?
No. Any work on fixed wiring must be done by a licensed electrician. Tenants can change a light globe or unplug a faulty appliance, but not fittings.
What counts as an emergency electrical repair?
A dangerous electrical fault or a failure of the electricity supply. That includes exposed wiring, sparking, burning smells, shocks and a loss of power that is not a network outage.
Do I need a smoke alarm compliance record?
Keeping a record of each alarm, its date of manufacture and every pre-tenancy test is the simplest way to show you met your obligations. We provide one after every check.
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Need a rental safety check?
Tell us the property and the lease dates and we will book a check between tenancies and send a fixed price, usually within the hour.