Do I need a gas and electrical safety check if my tenancy agreement started before 2021?

Currently, the mandatory 2-yearly check only applies to agreements entered into after 29 March 2021. That's due to change from 13 October 2026, when the requirement is set to extend to all rental agreements regardless of start date — though confirm the current status directly with Consumer Affairs Victoria closer to that date, since it isn't yet reflected on their own page as of this guide's last check.

Do smoke alarm checks apply to my older tenancy agreement?

Yes, already. Unlike the gas and electrical safety checks, the annual smoke alarm check requirement was extended to all rental agreements regardless of start date from 25 November 2025 — this change has already happened, it isn't upcoming.

Who can actually perform these safety checks?

A gas safety check must be done by a licensed or registered gasfitter endorsed in Type A Gas Appliances Servicing. An electrical safety check must be done by a licensed or registered electrician. Neither can be a general handyperson or the rental provider themselves, regardless of their own skills.

What happens if I don't meet minimum standards or safety-check obligations?

A renter can report a non-compliant advertised property, or raise an unmet minimum standard or overdue safety check as a repairs issue, potentially escalating to VCAT. A faulty smoke alarm specifically is treated as an urgent repair, and a renter can arrange the repair themselves (up to $2,500) if the rental provider can't be reached, with reimbursement due within 7 days.

Owning & renting out

A rental provider's safety and minimum-standards obligations

Minimum standards before advertising, the 2-yearly gas and electrical safety checks, the annual smoke alarm check now covering every tenancy, and the scope extension due from 13 October 2026.

Jurisdiction: Victoria only·Sources last verified: 20 Aug 2026·Written by: Delora editorial team·Last reviewed: 2026-08-28·Change history

Key points

A rental property must meet 15 categories of minimum standards before it's advertised — not just before a renter moves in.
Gas and electrical safety checks are currently mandatory every 2 years for agreements starting after 29 March 2021, performed only by a licensed gasfitter or electrician.
The annual smoke alarm check already applies to every rental agreement regardless of start date, since 25 November 2025 — there's no pre-2021 exemption for this one.
From 13 October 2026, the gas and electrical check requirement is due to extend to every rental agreement too, closing the current pre-2021 exemption.
A faulty smoke alarm is an urgent repair — a renter can arrange the fix themselves (up to $2,500) if the rental provider can't be reached.

Minimum standards: before you can even advertise

A Victorian rental property must meet 15 categories of minimum standards before it's advertised — covering bathrooms, electrical safety, heating, kitchen, laundry, lighting, locks, mould and damp, structural soundness, toilets, ventilation, vermin-proof bins, windows and window coverings, plus — added from 1 December 2025 — window covering anchors (Consumer Affairs Victoria, verified 20 Aug 2026). This currently applies to rental agreements starting on or after 29 March 2021, or that became periodic (month-to-month) from that date. If you're renting out a property for the first time, work through the full checklist before you advertise, not after a renter moves in and raises an issue.

Gas and electrical safety checks, every 2 years

For agreements entered into after 29 March 2021, a rental provider must arrange a gas safety check every 2 years, performed by a licensed or registered gasfitter specifically endorsed in Type A Gas Appliances Servicing, and an electrical safety check every 2 years, performed by a licensed or registered electrician (Consumer Affairs Victoria, verified 20 Aug 2026). Separately, from 29 March 2023, every power outlet and lighting circuit in a rental property must connect to a switchboard-type circuit breaker and a compliant residual current device (RCD) — an older switchboard without this protection needs upgrading. Keep the record of each check until the next one is due, and give the renter a copy within 7 days if they ask in writing.

Smoke alarms: an annual check, now for every tenancy

A rental provider must keep smoke alarms correctly installed, in working condition, and tested at least once every 12 months. Unlike the gas and electrical checks above, this one has already been widened: as of 25 November 2025, the annual smoke alarm check applies to every rental agreement, regardless of when it started (Consumer Affairs Victoria, verified 20 Aug 2026) — there's no pre-2021 carve-out for this one. A faulty smoke alarm is treated as an urgent repair. If the rental provider can't be reached, the renter can arrange the repair themselves for up to $2,500, and the rental provider must reimburse them within 7 days.

What's changing on 13 October 2026

The gas and electrical safety-check requirement above is due to be widened the same way the smoke alarm check already was. The Victorian Government's own announcement confirms the substance: the 2-yearly gas and electrical safety check requirement is being extended to all residential rental agreements, regardless of when they started — removing the current 29 March 2021 limitation entirely (Premier of Victoria, verified 20 Aug 2026). Multiple property-law and electrical-industry sources cite a specific commencement date of 13 October 2026 under the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021 (Vic), though — worth flagging honestly — that exact date wasn't yet reflected on Consumer Affairs Victoria's or Energy Safe Victoria's own pages as directly checked for this guide. If you hold a rental property on an agreement that started before 29 March 2021 and has never had a gas or electrical safety check, don't wait for a specific date to arrive before acting — confirm the current requirement directly with Consumer Affairs Victoria and book both checks regardless.

Common mistake: assuming an older tenancy agreement (started before 29 March 2021) is exempt from all of these obligations. It currently is exempt from the mandatory gas and electrical check cycle — but not from the annual smoke alarm check, which already applies to every rental agreement regardless of start date, and that gas/electrical exemption is due to close entirely from 13 October 2026.

Practical checklist

Ongoing safety obligations as a rental provider

Work through the 15-category minimum-standards checklist before advertising
Book a gas safety check and an electrical safety check with licensed practitioners if either is more than 2 years overdue
Confirm smoke alarms are tested and working at least annually — regardless of when the tenancy agreement started
Check the switchboard has a compliant circuit breaker and RCD for every outlet and lighting circuit
Keep safety-check records until the next check is due, and be ready to provide a copy to the renter within 7 days of a written request

Questions for a professional

Is this rental agreement currently within the mandatory gas/electrical check cycle, or does it predate 29 March 2021?
Does the switchboard meet the current circuit-breaker and RCD requirements?
What's the current status of the 13 October 2026 scope extension closer to that date?

Official resources

Important limitations: This is general information for Victorian rental providers, not personal legal advice, and doesn't confirm compliance for any specific property. The 13 October 2026 commencement date for the gas/electrical scope extension is corroborated by named industry sources citing the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021 (Vic), not yet stated with that specific date on Consumer Affairs Victoria's own page as checked for this guide — confirm the current position directly, especially close to that date. Minimum standards, safety-check requirements and their scope can change; always verify current obligations with Consumer Affairs Victoria before relying on a figure here.

Sources and methodology

Rental properties - minimum standards | Consumer Affairs Victoria — Consumer Affairs Victoria (retrieved 20 Aug 2026)
Rental providers: gas and electrical safety | Consumer Affairs Victoria — Consumer Affairs Victoria (retrieved 20 Aug 2026)
Smoke alarms and fire safety | Consumer Affairs Victoria — Consumer Affairs Victoria (retrieved 20 Aug 2026)
Making Victorian Rentals Safer | Premier of Victoria — Premier of Victoria (retrieved 20 Aug 2026)
The two-yearly electrical safety check for Victorian rentals | Thunderman — Thunderman Electrical (licensed electrical services provider) (retrieved 20 Aug 2026)

Figures on this page are drawn from Delora's local knowledge graph, refreshed from these primary sources and checked for changes on a regular schedule. If a figure here looks out of date, the official source above is always the authority — please let us know.

Evidence record

Written by
Delora editorial team

Jurisdiction
Victoria only

Content type
Guide (general education, not financial advice)

Last reviewed
2026-08-21

Sources
See "Sources and methodology" above for cited sources