What happens if my landlord ignores a request for safety switches?

You can send Building and Energy a copy of your written request, the rental agreement and a photo of the switchboard. It may inspect the property and order the owner to fit them.

The lights flicker in my Cannington unit. Who do I tell?

Your landlord or agent, in writing. If the whole building or street is affected, it may be a network problem for Western Power. Flickering with a burning smell or buzzing is urgent: switch off at the main switch if it's safe, call an electrician, and ring 000 if there's smoke or sparks.

Cannington electricians: renters, townhouses and new apartments

Electricians in CanningtonA renters' suburb with towers on the way.

57.0% of Cannington's homes were rented at the 2021 Census, and the City of Canning plans high-density housing around the station. So the questions here are about tenants, landlords and shared buildings. Tell us what's going on and we'll match you with a licence-checked local electrician who handles that kind of thing.

Updated 29 October 2026 · Written by the Sparky Next Door team · How we check our facts

Cannington's housing, and what it means

An old name, a young population

Cannington was first subdivided in 1882 and takes its name from the Canning River on its south-western edge. The median age at the 2021 Census was just 30.

Townhouses and flats

36.0% of occupied homes were townhouses or similar and 16.8% flats or apartments, alongside 46.2% separate houses, across 3,161 private dwellings.

Post-war growth across the council

The City of Canning's population went from 5,203 in 1947 to 13,419 in 1954, and reached 35,382 by 1971.

Thousands more homes planned

The City says its Canning City Centre will have high density housing near the train station, and expects its regeneration program to deliver 10,000 new homes for 25,000 new residents.

Underground power on the agenda

The City of Canning is one of nine councils in Western Power's Targeted Underground Power Program.

If you rent in Cannington

You can

Reset a tripped safety switch once. If it trips again, leave it off and tell your landlord or agent.
Report any shock or tingle to Western Power on 13 13 51 straight away, then your landlord.
Ask in writing for safety switches if the board has fewer than two.
Press the RCD test button every three months, as Building and Energy recommends.

Leave to a licensed electrician

Fixing faults in the wiring or fixed appliances, which the landlord must arrange.
Fitting RCDs or replacing a faulty one.
Connecting or replacing mains-powered smoke alarms.

EV charging in a new apartment building

Western Power treats a grid-only EV charger as ordinary load, and permits a 7 kW single-phase unit on a standard connection if the total load fits. In an apartment building, the building's supply and the strata company's rules decide what's possible, so ask before you buy a charger.

Our advice for Cannington renters and owners

Tenants: put requests in writing and keep copies, because that's what Building and Energy asks for if it has to step in. Owners of older units: get the RCDs and smoke alarms sorted before the next lease, not after a complaint.

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.

Get matched

Electricians in CanningtonA renters' suburb with towers on the way.

Need a sparky in Cannington?