Electrical safety inspections on a home aren't just boxes to tick — done properly, they find issues that could cause serious harm. Common finds in older Melbourne homes: aged cable insulation crumbling in ceilings, missing or untested safety switches, DIY work that bypasses safety circuits, overloaded switchboards, and unsafe joins hidden above the plaster. We do three main kinds of inspection. Pre-purchase gives buyers an honest picture of the electrical state of a property they're about to commit to — often more useful than a general building inspection, which covers electrical only superficially. Insurance inspections document compliance for insurers, on policy renewal, or after a claim. Periodic inspections are the ongoing checks we recommend for owner-occupied homes every 5 years if it's been longer than that since the last one — and especially before a major renovation.
You get a full written report with photos and a priority ranking on every finding — "do now", "do within 12 months", "keep an eye on". We don't pad the report to generate more work; if everything's fine, that's what the report will say.
What's tested
A typical residential inspection covers: switchboard visual inspection and condition, RCD trip-time and trip-current testing under load, earth fault loop impedance test, polarity and continuity check on every accessible power point, smoke alarm function and date check, light fitting and fan condition spot-check, and a visual inspection of accessible cable runs in roof space and subfloor. Where access allows, we look in the meter box and at the consumer mains for signs of overheating or insulation degradation.
When you should get one
Pre-purchase before signing on a property over about 20 years old. Before a major renovation that adds load (kitchen, ducted aircon, induction cooktop, EV charger). After a tenancy ends if you're a landlord. Every 5 years on owner-occupied homes if more time than that has passed. After any electrical incident — repeated tripping you can't trace, a burning smell, a shock from a tap or appliance — even if the immediate symptom seems to have stopped.
Standards the inspection works to
Compliance is measured against AS/NZS 3000 (the Wiring Rules) — the binding standard for fixed electrical installations in Australia. Test procedures and pass thresholds (insulation resistance, earth fault loop impedance, RCD trip-time) follow AS/NZS 3017 (verification guidelines), and the inspection scope itself mirrors the periodic-inspection framework in AS/NZS 3019. The written report cross-references each finding to the relevant clause so any remediation work can be matched against the standard rather than re-litigated.