Do Victorian rental properties need a modern switchboard?

Yes. Since 29 March 2023, Victorian rental properties have been required to have a modern-style switchboard fitted with circuit breakers and safety switches. This matters for the safety check because a property still running ceramic rewireable fuses does not simply get a note on the report — it is a compliance failure that has to be rectified, which means a switchboard upgrade rather than an adjustment. Ballarat has a lot of older housing where the original board is still in place, so this catches a meaningful number of rentals. If you are not sure what your property has, a fuse board with removable ceramic carriers and fuse wire is the one that needs replacing. Budget for it as a separate job from the check itself.