Following on from Electrical Safety Fortnight (2–14 September), the RTA is sharing key resources to help tenants, residents, property managers and owners stay safe around electricity.
Under Queensland laws, both property managers/owners and tenants/residents have responsibilities to ensure electrical safety in a rental property. The resources below can help the Queensland renting community to meet these responsibilities and stay safe.
Electrical Safety Office (ESO) resources
Rental property guides
The ESO electrical safety in rental properties page includes guidance for property owners and tenants/residents that covers safety switches, smoke alarms, maintaining electrical appliances and tingles and shocks from taps. The page also has downloadable resources covering:
- Electrical safety in rental properties – tenants guide
- Electrical safety in rental properties – property owners guide
- Electrical safety maintenance plan – property owners
Safety switches
Owners of domestic rental accommodation in Queensland must have a safety switch installed in their rental properties. The ESO safety switches page includes information about switches, how to test them and frequently asked questions.
Shocks and tingles
Experiencing a shock or tingle isn’t normal. It could mean there’s an electrical wiring issue in or near your home that might lead to a more dangerous situation. You can find out what to do if you experience a shock or tingle on the ESO shocks and tingles page.
Electrical maintenance
The ESO provides an electrical safety maintenance plan template that property owners can use on the electrical safety in rental properties page. The ESO says you should always use a licensed electrician for electrical repairs – don’t do your own electrical work.
RTA resources – reporting electrical issues and repairs
You can find out more about how to report or manage electrical repairs on the RTA’s electrical safety page.
Further information
To find out more, visit the Electrical Safety Office website or the RTA’s electrical safety page.
Note: While the RTA makes every reasonable effort to ensure that information on this website is accurate at the time of publication, changes in circumstances after publication may impact on the accuracy of material. This disclaimer is in addition to and does not limit the application of the Residential Tenancies Authority website disclaimer.