What the job involves
Rental work is mostly a handful of recurring jobs, each with its own timing:
- Installing or replacing interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms
- Adding safety switches to power point circuits
- Repairs reported by tenants: dead power points, faulty lights, a tripping safety switch
- Working through a list of electrical jobs between tenancies, while the property is empty
- Work for owners getting a property ready to sell
Each job is quoted, and you get an invoice and a certificate for the electrical work, which is useful to keep on the property file.
The rules for rentals
Rental homes have needed interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms since 1 January 2022. The requirements are set out by the Queensland Government and the Residential Tenancies Authority:
- Alarms must meet AS 3786:2014 and must not contain an ionisation sensor.
- Alarms go in every bedroom, in hallways that connect bedrooms, and on every level.
- Alarms must be less than 10 years old.
- Hardwired alarms must be installed by a licensed electrician, and a hardwired alarm must be replaced with a hardwired alarm.
- Landlords must test smoke alarms within 30 days before a tenancy starts. Tenants test and clean them at least every 12 months.
Safety switches have their own timing, set out by the Electrical Safety Office:
- Rental homes need safety switches on power point circuits within 90 days after a tenancy starts.
- When a home is bought without a safety switch on power point circuits, one must be installed within 90 days of the transfer. Worth knowing if you are buying an investment property.
Tenants who want an EV charger need approval from the owner or property manager first. See EV chargers.
Access and booking
P4 works Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm, so access needs to fall inside those hours. To keep things moving:
- Send the tenant's name and phone number with the work order, and let the tenant know P4 will be in touch
- If nobody will be home, arrange keys before the booked day
- Mention pets, locked gates or anything else that affects getting in
- For vacant properties, say so; between tenancies is the easiest time to get several jobs done at once
When you book, tell us who should get the invoice and certificate: the agency, the owner or both.
What you get
- 12 months workmanship warranty, plus the manufacturer's warranty on products
- An invoice and a certificate for the electrical work
Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law.
Most real estate work is specific jobs, such as alarms, safety switches and repairs. Jamie also does electrical safety audits if you'd like a property looked over as a whole.
