Can a portable heater satisfy the rental heating standard?

No. The Consumer Affairs Victoria definition of an energy efficient fixed heater requires an electric, non-portable unit, or electric ducted heating, that meets the GEMS rating thresholds. A plug-in heater in the lounge does not count.

Does the 2027 heating rule mean I must replace a working gas heater in my rental now?

Not if it is rated two stars or more and is still working. Under the Consumer Affairs Victoria table, those heaters need upgrading when they permanently fail or cannot be repaired. Heaters rated under two stars, or no fixed heater at all, already fall short of the current standards.

Can the gas safety check and the pre-draughtproofing check be done together?

Consumer Affairs Victoria says you may be able to combine them in a single visit, as long as the check meets the timing and information requirements of both. Tell the gasfitter you need both so the report covers each one.

As a renter, how do I find out when the last gas safety check was done?

The rental provider must disclose the date of the last check before you sign the agreement. Once you live there, you can ask in writing for a copy of the most recent check, and the rental provider has 7 days to give it to you.

Who decides whether a broken heater can be repaired?

In practice, a qualified technician who inspects it. For a gas heater that is a gasfitter with Type A appliance servicing; for an electric heater or reverse cycle unit, an electrician or refrigeration technician. Keep their written finding with your compliance records.

Rental heating checklist for Traralgon landlords

Victorian rental providers already have to arrange a gas safety check every two years and meet the current heating standard, and from 1 March 2027 most heaters in a rental that fail beyond repair must give way to an energy efficient electric one in the main living area. Cooling, draughtproofing and record-keeping duties are being phased in at the same time. This checklist sets out each rule with its date so a Traralgon landlord, agent or renter can see what applies to a particular property.

Who does this checklist apply to?

It applies to residential rental providers and their agents in Victoria, under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 and the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021, and it is a useful reference for renters who want to know what their home should have. It covers heating, cooling and gas safety only. Insulation, showerheads and hot water have their own standards, which are listed briefly near the end.

The rules come from Consumer Affairs Victoria and Energy Victoria pages read in November 2026. Regulators update these pages, so check the linked source before you rely on a date.

What gas and electrical safety checks are required now?

These duties apply today, from the Consumer Affairs Victoria gas and electrical safety page:

Arrange a gas safety check every 2 years by a licensed or registered gasfitter endorsed in Type A Gas Appliances Servicing.
If no gas safety check has been done in the last 2 years when a renter moves in, have one done as soon as possible.
Before the rental agreement is signed, tell the renter the date of the last gas safety check and any outstanding recommendations from it.
Keep the record of each gas safety check until the record of the next one exists.
Give the renter a copy of the latest check within 7 days of a written request.
Arrange an electrical safety check of the installation, fixtures and fittings every 2 years by a licensed or registered electrician, with the same move-in, disclosure, record and copy duties.

To find a gasfitter with the right endorsement, use the Building and Plumbing Commission’s find and check a practitioner tool. The gas heater servicing page explains what a heater service involves.

Which heater problems count as urgent repairs?

Consumer Affairs Victoria lists urgent repairs defined in the Residential Tenancies Act 1997. Those relevant to heating include a gas leak, a dangerous electrical fault, and a failure or breakdown of a supplied heating appliance. The rental provider must respond immediately to an urgent repair. In the Latrobe Valley that matters: Bureau of Meteorology averages for Latrobe Valley Airport show a July mean minimum of 3.7 C, so a dead heater in winter is a real hardship. Renters should report the problem straight away, and if gas is involved, turn the appliance off and get fresh air first.

What records must a landlord keep from 13 October 2026?

The Consumer Affairs Victoria minimum standards page says that from 13 October 2026 all rental providers must keep records sufficient to show the property meets the rental minimum standards. In practice:

Keep evidence that the property met the standards before it was advertised or offered for rent.
Keep evidence that it met them before the renter moved in.
Be ready to produce those records if Consumer Affairs Victoria asks.

For heating, useful records include the make, model and heating star rating of the fixed heater in the main living area, the gas safety check report, the electrical safety check report and any compliance certificate from an installation.

What counts as an energy efficient fixed heater from 1 March 2027?

Consumer Affairs Victoria’s heating standard page defines it as one of:

an electric, non-portable, non-ducted air conditioner or heat pump capable of heating, with a Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (GEMS) heating rating of two stars or above for the climate area of the property; or
an electric ducted heating system with a GEMS Heating Seasonal Performance Factor of 3.2 or above for the climate area.

The heater must be in the main living area. The same page notes that ratings are shown at the point of sale and in manuals, and that you can look up an existing heater’s rating in the GEMS registration database.

What has to happen to each type of heater, and when?

This is the Consumer Affairs Victoria table, reworded:

Heater in the main living area now	What the rental provider must do	When
No fixed heater	Install an energy efficient fixed heater	Now, under the current minimum standards
Gas space heater rated under two stars	Upgrade to an energy efficient fixed heater	Now, under the current minimum standards
Electric space heater rated under two stars	Upgrade to an energy efficient fixed heater	Now, under the current minimum standards
Gas space heater rated two stars or more	Upgrade to a heater meeting the 2027 definition	When it permanently fails or cannot be repaired
Gas ducted heating	Upgrade to a heater meeting the 2027 definition	When it permanently fails or cannot be repaired
Electric space heater rated two stars or more	Upgrade to a heater meeting the 2027 definition	When it permanently fails or cannot be repaired
Electric ducted heating	Upgrade to a heater meeting the 2027 definition	When it permanently fails or cannot be repaired
LPG space heater	Upgrade, or replace with another LPG space heater	When it permanently fails or cannot be repaired
Wood heater	Upgrade, or replace with another wood heater	When it permanently fails or cannot be repaired
Gas or electric hydronic heating	Upgrade, or replace with electric hydronic heating	When it permanently fails or cannot be repaired

A property that runs a bottled LPG space heater keeps the option of a like-for-like LPG replacement when it fails, and a wood heater can likewise be swapped for another wood heater. The other rows lead to an electric heater: one that meets the 2027 definition, or electric hydronic heating where a hydronic system is there now.

If a heater in your rental is likely to fail soon, the gas to electric heating page covers planning the switch before it breaks, and you can ask for quotes on a compliant heater while the old one still works.

What is the cooling rule for rentals?

According to Energy Victoria’s rental homes page, fixed efficient electric cooling (a reverse cycle air conditioner) must be installed with an outlet in the main living area:

from 1 March 2027, at the start of a new lease or when a lease converts to periodic (month to month); and
from 1 July 2030, whether or not a new lease has started.

A reverse cycle unit in the main living area can meet the heating standard and the cooling standard together, so a single installation can deal with both.

What is the draughtproofing rule, and why does gas matter?

Energy Victoria says external windows, doors and wall vents must be sealed from 1 July 2027, at the start of a new lease or conversion to a periodic lease, unless an unflued or open-flued gas appliance is present. Sealing a house can cut the fresh air those heaters rely on.

Consumer Affairs Victoria adds a separate step: if the property has any gas appliances, fixtures or fittings, a licensed or registered gasfitter must do a gas safety check within 6 months before the draughtproofing work starts, and that check must identify any ventilation the gas appliances need. You may be able to combine it with the two-yearly check in one visit if it meets the timing and information rules for both.

What other 2027 standards should a landlord plan for?

Energy Victoria lists these alongside heating and cooling. They are outside this site’s trade, so they are mentioned only so nothing is missed:

Ceiling insulation to R5.0 where none is present, at a new lease or periodic conversion from 1 March 2027.
Efficient showerheads at a new lease or periodic conversion from 1 March 2027.
An efficient electric water heater when an existing hot water system fails and cannot be repaired, from 1 March 2027.

How can Victorian Energy Upgrades help with the cost?

Rental properties are eligible for heating and cooling discounts through Victorian Energy Upgrades, and the discount is applied by an accredited provider on the quote. The VEU heating and cooling discounts guide covers who can apply it and the order of steps. Plan the discount before any work is booked.

What should a landlord ask the installer?

The businesses that receive enquiries here are independent, and each will quote and install under its own licences. Before you accept a quote for a rental, ask:

Does the unit meet the 2027 definition for this climate area, and what is its GEMS heating rating?
Will the outlet be in the main living area?
Who holds the refrigerant handling licence, and who does the electrical connection?
If a gas heater is coming out, who disconnects and caps the gas line?
What paperwork will I receive for my compliance records?

For owner-occupiers wondering whether any of this applies to them, the gas heater replacement guide answers that by situation.

Next step: what a landlord or agent should send

To get a compliant heater or cooler quoted for a Traralgon rental, send a rental heating enquiry with the property suburb, the type and age of the current heater, its star rating or model number if you know it, the rough size of the main living area, when the current lease ends or turns periodic, and whether a gas safety check or draughtproofing is also due. If a renter lives there, say how the business should arrange access.

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Rental heating and cooling checklist for Traralgon landlords