A rooming house is a building where four or more people can live in rented rooms, some of which might be shared, and access communal facilities. Each resident has an individual rental agreement. It is different to a sharehouse, where everyone signs the same agreement to rent the whole property.
Rooming house operators have certain responsibilities for gas and electrical safety. These include conducting a gas safety check every two years and an electrical safety check at least once every two years. Rooming house operators must obtain and keep records of the most recent safety checks and produce them to Consumer Affairs Victoria, on request.
Urgent repairs – gas and electrical safety
Gas and electrical issues may be urgent repairs. If that is the case, the rooming house operator must respond immediately.
Urgent repairs are defined in the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 and include:
- a gas leak
- a dangerous electrical fault
- a failure or breakdown of a supplied appliance for hot water, water, cooking, heating or laundry
- a failure or breakdown of the gas, electricity or water supply.
A resident must notify the rooming house operator if they become aware of the need for an urgent repair. If the rooming house operator cannot be contacted or does not respond immediately, the resident can arrange and pay for an urgent repair of up to $2,500.
The rooming house operator must pay them back within seven days of receiving a written request from the resident to pay them back.
Gas safety checks
Rooming house operators must ensure that a gas safety check is conducted every 2 years by a licensed or registered gasfitter of all gas installations and fittings at the rooming house.
If a gas safety check has not been conducted within the last 2 years at the time a resident occupies the rooming house, a gas safety check is to be completed as soon as possible.
Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) recommends that gas fitters use the Gas Safety Checklist when conducting these checks. Find more information and download the checklist at Rooming house gas safety checks - Energy Safe Victoria.
Finding a licensed gas fitter
- A licensed gas fitter is a plumber who has extra qualifications to complete gas work safely and is registered with the Victorian Building Authority.
- You can find licensed gas fitters by searching the web or using a directory such as the Yellow Pages.
- You should ask to see the card that says the plumber is qualified to carry out gas fitting work.
What a gas safety check must cover
The Residential Tenancies (Rooming House Standards) Regulations 2023 set out what must be included in a gas safety check.
If a rooming house contains an appliance, fixture or fitting that uses or supplies gas, these items must be checked to ensure they have been installed correctly and that they are not leaking any gas. A ‘gas safety check’ is defined in the Residential Tenancies (Rooming House Standards) Regulations 2023 as requiring the following checks:
- That LPG cylinders and associated gas components are installed correctly.
- That appliance gas isolation valves are installed where required by AS/NZS 5601.1 "Gas installations", as published or amended from time to time.
- That gas appliances and their components are accessible for servicing and adjustment.
- That the gas installation is electrically safe.
- That clearances from appliances to combustible surfaces are in accordance with installation instructions and AS/NZS5601.1 "Gas installations", as published or amended from time to time.
- That there is adequate ventilation for appliances to operate safely.
- That gas appliances (including cookers) are adequately restrained from tipping over.
- Checking the condition of gas appliance flue systems, including chimneys, and
- Checking gas appliances for evidence of certification.
A gas safety check must also include testing to confirm that all Type A gas appliances are serviced in compliance with AS 4575.
Evidence of a gas safety check
The gas fitter should give you a record of the gas safety check. The document should include:
- the full name and business details, including the licence number, of the gas fitter who did the check
- the date of the safety check
- the address of the rooming house
- confirmation that all installations and fittings (including the gas line) have been checked and found safe
- that Type A appliances are serviced in compliance with AS 4575.
Record keeping
You must keep a record of a gas safety check until a record of the next gas safety check is created.
If you have further gas work carried out after the check, you must also keep the compliance certificate or tax invoice relating to that work.
If a resident gives a rooming house operator a written request for a copy of the gas safety check, you must supply it within 7 days.
You must make the gas safety check records available to the Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) on request.
We encourage rooming house operators to lodge copies of their gas safety check for each rooming house premises via myCAV.
Submitting copies of your safety checks using myCAV will remove the administrative burden of being asked to produce them during the period that they are active.
Electrical safety checks
You must have all electrical installations and fittings checked by a licensed electrician at least once every 2 years.
If an electrical safety check has not been conducted within the last 2 years at the time a resident occupies the rooming house, an electrical safety check is to be completed as soon as possible.
All power outlets and electrical circuits must connect to both a switchboard-type circuit breaker that complies with AS/NZS 3000 and a switchboard-type residual current device that complies with AS/NZS 3190, AS/NZS 61008.1 or AS/NZS 61009.1.
Who can conduct an electrical safety check?
Electricians must be licensed with Energy Safe Victoria as Registered Electrical Contractors (RECs).The safety check must be conducted by a licensed or registered electrician.
You can check an electrician’s registration or licensing status on their card. You can also check their licensing or registration details on the Energy Safe Victoria website.
Finding a licensed electrician
You can find a licensed electrician by searching the web or by visiting Energy Safe Victoria.
What an electrical safety check must cover
The Residential Tenancies (Rooming House Standards) Regulations 2023 set out what must be included in an electrical safety check.
Electrical safety checks must include a check of all electrical installations, appliances and fittings carried out in accordance with section 4 of AS/NZS 3019 "Electrical installations—Periodic verification” and section 2 of AS/NZS 3760 "In service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment and RCD's", as published from time to time.
For more information on electrical safety checks, visit Energy Safe Victoria.
Evidence of electrical safety checks
The electrician should give you a record of the electrical safety check which must include:
- the name of the licensed or registered electrician who conducted the check and their the licence or registration number
- the date of the safety check
- the results of the check, including any servicing and repairs required and actions taken to address the repair
- a report prepared in accordance with AS/NZS 3019 and AS/NZS 3760
- confirmation that all power outlets and lighting circuits are connected to a switchboard-type circuit breaker that complies with AS/NZS3000 and a switchboard-type residual current device that complies with AS/NZS3190 or AS/NZ61008.1 or AS/NZS 61009.1.
Record keeping
You must keep a record of an electrical safety check until a record of the next electrical safety check is created.
If a resident gives a rooming house operator a written request for a copy of the electrical safety check, you must supply it within 7 days.
You must make the electrical safety check records available to the Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria on request.
We encourage rooming house operators to lodge copies of their electrical safety check for each rooming house premises via myCAV.
Submitting copies of your safety checks using myCAV will remove the administrative burden of being asked to produce them during the period that they are active.
Residents must use gas and electrical appliances safely and report faults
To minimise gas safety risks, rooming house residents should use appliances appropriately and according to the instructions. If it becomes apparent that an appliance is faulty, residents should stop using.
Where a resident identifies a fault or a problem with an appliance, they are required to report it to the rooming house operator. Residents are also required to allow reasonable access to the property for gas and electrical safety checks to be conducted.
If residents are concerned about the safety of a gas heater, they should contact their rooming house operator and ask for it to be tested.
Regulations
If you want to know what the law says about gas and electrical safety obligations in rooming houses, you can read the relevant Residential Tenancies (Rooming House Standards) Regulations 2023:
- Regulation 5 Definitions – what a gas and electrical safety check must cover
- Regulation 20 – standard for gas safety check
- Regulation 21 – standard for electrical safety check
- Regulation 28 – requirement to keep record of gas safety check
- Regulation 29 – requirement to keep record of electrical safety check
- Regulation 30 – gas and electrical safety check records must be made available to the Director of CAV on request.
Sections of the Act
If you want to know what the law says about gas and electrical safety obligations in rooming houses, you can read these sections of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997:
- Section 142BA – record of gas and electrical safety checks