With a wave of renovation warriors in Australia, especially from the influence of popular programmes like House Rules being shown on our screens, many people’s ambition when it comes to renovation projects far outweigh their ability. What’s worse is that doing electrical work on your own home could not only be breaking the law in Queensland and risking a hefty fine but also put lives in danger.

Here’s what to remember:

• Unlawful work can attract significant fines under Queensland law. Other Australian states have similar laws. To find out more click here.
• All homes built before 1992 must have safety switches installed.
• People who spent years training as electricians still are at risk of injury from electrical systems, let alone amateurs who don’t have the same knowledge of the complexities of household electric systems
• You should only ever have electrical work completed by a licensed contractor.
• Any electrical work that is completed by an unlicensed contractor is not covered by insurance policies.
• Shoddy work completers by amateurs can risk electrical fires and electrocution. Even if no issues are evident initially, bad electrical work could pose a problem down the track. Simple overheating of wires is enough to cause fires.

The rules in Queensland name prohibited tasks include:

• Installation of power points and light switches, or moving an existing points or switches location.
• Repairing appliances such as heaters.
• Making your own extension lead or replacing the end of the lead with a new plug.
• Remember when renovating in the home including the always popular kitchen and bathroom renovation projects water also poses a risk. Always get the help of a licensed electrician for you and your family’s safety, the laws are there to protect people and from some of the DIY jobs we’ve corrected in the past, home electrical work that has not been completed to safety standards is a ticking time bomb, just waiting to go off and all for just a few dollars saved Call Fixzit for all your electrical work. We don’t overcharge for our work and you can guarantee all the work we do is safe and will continue to be so.