What's different about Dandenong
A renters' suburb
At the 2021 Census, 52.7% of Dandenong's occupied homes were rented and 42.4% had two bedrooms. Only 41.4% were separate houses, while 39.0% were townhouses or similar and 19.3% were flats or apartments.
Built around the factories
Heinz, International Harvester (1952) and General Motors Holden (1956) set up on the flat land south-east of town, and the jobs drew workers, many of them European migrants. The Housing Commission built Doveton next door to house them.
United Energy's central region
United Energy's Keysborough zone substation supplies Dandenong, Keysborough and Noble Park. With Dandenong named a Metropolitan activity centre and a National employment and innovation cluster, United Energy expects demand to keep rising. Its faults line is 13 20 99.
Creeks and old swamps
Dandenong Creek, Eumemmering Creek and the old Carrum and Koo-Wee-Rup swamps made early Dandenong prone to flooding. Anything electrical that's been under water needs a licensed electrician's check before it goes back on.
What a Dandenong landlord needs to book
Every Victorian rental now needs an electrical safety check at least every 2 years, done to section 4 of AS/NZS 3019. Since 29 March 2023, power outlets and lighting circuits in rentals must also be on circuit breakers and safety switches (RCDs: devices that cut the power in a fraction of a second if current leaks to earth).
If the board already takes circuit breakers, an electrician can usually meet that standard by adding them to the power and lighting circuits, without touching the oven, hot water or air conditioning circuits. An older fuse board may need replacing outright. A rental safety check tells you which one you've got.
Renters have rights here too. Before you sign, the rental provider has to tell you the date of the last electrical check and any recommendations still outstanding, and give you the record within 7 days if you ask in writing.
Questions for the electrician doing a rental check
- Which Registered Electrical Contractor are you working for, and what's its REC number?
- Will the check follow section 4 of AS/NZS 3019?
- Will your record show your licence number, the date, the results and any repairs?
- If something needs fixing, will you quote it in writing before you start?
- In a unit, which parts of the supply belong to the owners corporation rather than the lot?
Our take for Dandenong landlords
If you own a rental here and can't put your hands on the last electrical check, we'd book one now instead of waiting for a tenant to ask. It's required for every rental, and a fault is far easier to fix between leases than with someone living there.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.