Who pays for the electrical safety check in a Victorian rental?

The rental provider. Arranging and paying for the two-yearly electrical safety check is the rental provider's obligation, not the renter's, and it cannot be passed on as a charge. The same applies to any rectification the check identifies — if the switchboard needs upgrading or a safety switch fails to trip, that is the rental provider's cost. What the renter is required to do is allow reasonable access for the check to happen, which is why arranging the appointment with them rather than around them makes the process considerably smoother. For rental providers budgeting across several Ballarat properties, the check is the predictable cost and rectification is the variable one.