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Residential tenancy

Residential tenancy information for gasfitters.

Residential tenancy changes

On 29 March 2021 Victoria introduced new renting laws. The changes to the law clarify the rights and responsibilities of renters and rental providers. There are over 130 reforms contained within the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021External Link .

On 31 May 2022 further amendments to the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021 (RTR) were made to ensure that the gas servicing requirements of a Gas Safety Check are aligned with the Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulation 2018 which now mandate AS 4575 Gas Appliance Servicing of Type A appliances and prescribe reporting requirements.

The amendments commenced on 1 June 2022.

The Consumer Affairs VictoriaExternal Link (CAV) website provides detailed information on the full range of changes included in the new renting regulationsExternal Link .

On the following pages, ESV provides information for consumers, gasfitters and electricians on the new requirements around gas and electrical safety.

Amendments to Victorian renting laws

Victoria’s rental laws came into effect on 29 March 2021. The changes to the law clarify the rights and responsibilities of renters and rental providers – from before a rental agreement is signed until after the agreement ends – and apply to all types of tenancies:

  • private rentals
  • caravan and residential parks
  • rooming houses.

On 31 May 2022 further amendments to the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021 (RTR) were made to ensure that the gas servicing requirements of a Gas Safety Check are aligned with the Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulation 2018 which now mandate AS 4575 Gas Appliance Servicing of Type A appliances and prescribe reporting requirements.

The amendments commenced 1 June 2022. There are over 130 reforms contained within the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021External Link

Amendments to the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021

The objective of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Regulations 2022 are to align the servicing requirements for a Type A gas appliance with the servicing requirements under the Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018.

These requirements came into force 1 June 2022.

The RTR amendments provide for consequential amendments to the servicing and record keeping requirements for ‘gas safety checks’ in the RTR 2021 to align with the amendments to the Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018. From 1 June 2022, the Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018 mandates AS 4575 as the servicing standard, to ensure a minimum safety standard, for every Type A gas appliance serviced across public, owner occupied and rental properties.

The amendments to the RTR include

  • inserting new definitions of ‘gas installation’, ‘licensed gasfitter’, ‘registered gasfitter’, ‘Type A gas appliance’ and ‘standard gas installation’ into the RTR, which are consistent with the Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018
  • substituting paragraph (c) of the definition of ‘gas safety check’ to require the servicing of all Type A gas appliances that are part of a standard gas installation and ‘note’ the requirements in the Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018 and
  • requiring that the record of a gas safety check must include, for each Type A gas appliance serviced, a record of the work given to the rental provider in accordance with the requirements of the Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018.

Consumer Affairs Victoria

Consumer Affairs VictoriaExternal Link (CAV) is the agency responsible for these regulations.

The CAV website has detailed summaries and guides on the full range of changes included in the new renting regulationsExternal Link including

Gas and electrical safety obligations

Under the new laws rental providers (previously referred to as landlords) have certain responsibilities for gas and electrical safety.

Rental providers must undertake gas and electricity safety checks:

  • For all new agreements after 29 March 2021, or
  • Where there is a fixed term agreement of more than five years which rolls over into a periodic tenancy after 29 March 2021, must undertake gas and electricity safety checks.

Additionally, rental providers must keep - and be able to produce - records of gas and electrical safety checks conducted at the property.

Gas safety check

The rental provider must ensure a gas safety check of all gas installations and fittings on the premises is conducted every two years by a licensed or registered gasfitter who is endorsed in the specialised class of Type A gas appliances servicing work (Gas Serving Type A on the Plumbers Identity Card).

Note: Registered plumbers engaging in specialised classes of plumbing must be under the supervision of a person licensed in the specialised class.

If requested, the rental provider must also provide the renter with the date of the most recent safety check, in writing.

If a gas safety check has not been conducted within the last two years at the time the renter occupies the premises, the rental provider must arrange a gas safety check as soon as practicable.

Find a gasfitter

To find a licensed gasfitter, see Plumbers and gasfitters

Evidence of safety checks

Gas safety check

A record of a gas safety check can be either of the following:

  • a compliance certificate (if applicable)
  • a document from the licensed or registered gas fitter who carried out the safety check must include a record of the service work carried out on all Type A appliances as prescribed in the Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018.

The gasfitter should provide a record of the gas safety check. The document must include:

  • Their full name and business details, including licence or registration number of the gasfitter who performed the check
  • the date the safety check was conducted, the results of the check, including repairs required and actions taken to address the repair
  • a record of type A appliance service work including details outlined in schedule 14 of the Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018
  • confirmation that all installations and fittings have been checked and found safe.

If further gas work must be carried out after the check, a rental provider must also keep the compliance certificate or tax invoice relating to that work.

Record keeping

A record of the most recent gas and/or electrical safety check, along with the details of the tradesperson who performed the check, must be kept until a record of the next safety check is created.

A copy of the most recent gas or electrical safety check must be provided to the renter within seven days after the rental provider receives a written request from the renter.

Rental provider obligations

Rental providers (landlords) must ensure the rental property is provided and maintained in good repair and is in a reasonably fit and suitable condition for occupation.

Rental providers must ensure the property complies with minimum standards before a renter moves in.

The renting rules include an expanded definition of urgent repairs – now including air conditioning, safety device and any fault or damage that makes the property unsafe or insecure.

Need more information?

If you have specific questions about the new rental rule changes, contact Consumer Affairs VictoriaExternal Link on 1300 55 81 81 or via CAV’s online enquiry formExternal Link .

Gasfitter resources

Check out our Gasfitter toolkit on the new rental rules.

If you have a technical query

Date: 19/03/2024 2:40

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The currency and accuracy of this document cannot be guaranteed once printed or saved to a storage device. If in doubt, please check the ESV website for the current version.

Reviewed 10 October 2023

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