Safety Switch (RCD) Requirements in NSW
What landlords and homeowners actually need to know about safety switches — what they do, when they're required, and how to check yours is working.
Safety switch vs fuse — different jobs
A safety switch (RCD, residual current device) is not the same thing as a fuse or circuit breaker. A breaker protects the wiring from overload; an RCD is there to protect people, by cutting power in a fraction of a second if current is leaking somewhere it shouldn't — through a person, for example.
What landlords are required to do
Under the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW), landlords have a general obligation to keep the property in a reasonable state of repair, which covers electrical safety. In practice:
- A safety switch's presence and working condition should be recorded in the property condition report at the start of a tenancy
- Testing the safety switch is the only way to actually confirm it's working — you can't tell just by looking at it
- A faulty safety switch, or one that's tripping and detecting a genuine fault, is treated as an urgent repair — it needs to be actioned promptly
- Exact requirements can shift with legislation — NSW Fair Trading (13 32 20) is the source to check for the current detail on your specific situation
What the wiring rules require
AS/NZS 3000 (the Australian/NZ wiring rules) requires RCD protection on power and lighting circuits for new work and any circuit that's added or altered — for example during a renovation, a switchboard upgrade, or adding a new circuit. It doesn't retrospectively force RCDs onto untouched older circuits, but plenty of homeowners choose to add full-board RCD coverage anyway during a switchboard upgrade, simply because it's safer.
How often should a safety switch be tested?
Every safety switch has a "TEST" button on the front — pressing it should trip the switch immediately. A quick press-and-reset every few months is a sensible habit for any homeowner or landlord, on top of having the board properly checked by a licensed electrician periodically.
Get your safety switches checked
Whether you're a landlord confirming compliance or a homeowner adding full-board RCD protection, we'll test what's there and quote what's missing.
Frequently asked questions
Are safety switches legally required in every NSW home?
Requirements differ for rentals versus owner-occupied homes, and can change with legislation — NSW Fair Trading (13 32 20) is the authority to confirm current requirements for your specific situation. As a wiring-rules matter, new and altered circuits require RCD protection under AS/NZS 3000.
What's the difference between a safety switch and a circuit breaker?
A circuit breaker protects the wiring from overload; a safety switch (RCD) protects people, cutting power almost instantly if current is leaking somewhere it shouldn't, such as through a person touching a faulty appliance.
Should I have one safety switch for the whole house or one per circuit?
One whole-board safety switch is the minimum, but RCD protection on every individual circuit is safer — a fault on one circuit trips only that circuit, not the whole house.