Selling or leasing a WA property: the electrical checklist
1. Safety switches (RCDs)
Before the land title transfers on a sale, RCDs must be properly installed to protect the circuits supplying your power points and lights — with at least two as a minimum. The same applies to rentals: compliant RCDs must be in place before tenants (or short-term guests) move in. If your board is fuse-based or has only one RCD, this is usually the first thing to address. See our guide on RCDs in WA property for the detail.
2. Smoke alarms
Compliant, working smoke alarms must be fitted before a home is sold, rented or hired. In most homes that means mains-powered alarms that meet AS 3786, are no more than 10 years old, and are interconnected where more than one is installed. Our smoke alarms guide covers exactly what's required and the limited cases where battery alarms are allowed.
3. A safety certificate for any work done
If any electrical work is carried out to get the property ready — adding RCDs, replacing alarms, a switchboard upgrade — your licensed contractor must give you an electrical safety certificate for that work. Keep it with your sale or tenancy records; it's your proof the work was done by a licensed contractor and tested.
The quick checklist
- At least two RCDs, protecting the power point and lighting circuits
- Compliant, working smoke alarms — mains-powered, under 10 years old, interconnected where required
- An electrical safety certificate for any work carried out
- Done and recorded before settlement or the start of the tenancy
Who's responsible
The obligation sits with the owner, and in practice a managing agent shares the responsibility for making sure it's handled. Either way, it needs to be confirmed and recorded rather than assumed — especially across a rent roll, where it's easiest to build into the turnover between tenancies. Our compliance service for property managers covers this across a whole portfolio.
Do I need RCDs in my WA property?What safety switches do, who needs them, and how many. Smoke alarms: what WA law requiresMains power, the 10-year rule and interconnection. Get a guide priceRough ranges for RCDs, smoke alarms and a safety certificate with our online tool.Quick questions
What electrical work do I need before selling a house in WA?
Before the land title transfers, RCDs (safety switches) must be properly installed to protect the power point and lighting circuits — at least two as a minimum. Working, compliant smoke alarms must also be fitted. And for any electrical work carried out, you should receive an electrical safety certificate.
What's required before I can rent out a WA property?
Rental properties must have compliant RCDs and working smoke alarms in place before tenants (or short-term guests) move in, and kept current between tenancies. It's the same core requirements as for a sale, confirmed for each property.
Whose responsibility is it — the owner or the agent?
The obligation sits with the owner, and in practice the managing agent shares responsibility for making sure it's done. Either way it needs to be confirmed and recorded, not assumed. We can check a property and bring it up to standard with the work documented.