Victoria Section 68C: Gas Check Before Draughtproofing a Rental Property

Why Draughtproofing Triggers a Separate Gas Obligation

Draughtproofing a rental property — weather stripping external doors, sealing window gaps, fitting chimney dampers — improves energy efficiency and tenant comfort. But in a property with gas appliances, sealing air leaks also reduces the ventilation that gas burners and flues rely on to operate safely.

Section 68C of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 requires a gas safety check before draughtproofing work on a property with gas appliances, fixtures, or fittings. A licensed or registered gasfitter must complete the check within six months before the work starts.

This is not the same as the routine two-yearly gas safety check (though the same gasfitter can often combine both into one visit if the timing lines up). Section 68C is triggered by the draughtproofing activity itself, regardless of where the property sits in its regular safety check cycle.

What the Gas Check Covers

The pre-draughtproofing gas check follows the same scope as a standard gas safety inspection:

• Carbon monoxide spillage testing on all gas appliances (heaters, cooktops, hot water systems, gas dryers)
• Flue clearance verification — checking that flue pipes are unobstructed and properly vented to the exterior
• Line pressure testing across the gas supply
• Burner condition audits on every gas appliance

If the gasfitter identifies an unsafe appliance during the inspection, they have authority under Energy Safe Victoria guidelines to isolate the appliance, cap the gas line, and tag it. Rectifying an isolated gas appliance is classified as an urgent repair under the RTA — it must be fixed immediately, not deferred until after the draughtproofing project.

The Penalty for Skipping It

Section 68C carries a maximum penalty of 150 penalty units for individuals — $31,365 in the 2026–27 financial year ($209.10 per penalty unit). For bodies corporate, the maximum is 750 penalty units ($156,825).

This is more than double the 60-penalty-unit cap that applies to most other tenancy compliance offences (such as renting a non-compliant property under Section 65A or failing to produce records under Section 65F). The higher penalty reflects the direct life-safety risk: carbon monoxide is odourless and colourless, and poorly ventilated gas appliances in sealed homes have caused fatalities in Australian rental properties.

When the Rule Applies

The obligation triggers whenever you implement draught-sealing measures on a property with gas appliances, fixtures, or fittings. Common examples:

• Installing weather stripping on external doors
• Fitting chimney dampers or flue caps
• Sealing gaps around window frames
• Adding door sweeps to close undercut gaps

If the property has no gas appliances, fixtures, or fittings — for example, fully electric cooking, hot water, and heating — Section 68C does not apply. If capped or disconnected gas infrastructure makes that unclear, ask a gasfitter to confirm whether any gas fixture remains.

How to Get the Timing Right

The gas check must be completed within six months before the draughtproofing work begins. If your last routine gas safety check was 18 months ago, it's too old for Section 68C purposes even though the next routine check isn't due for another 6 months.

A practical approach: schedule the gas check and the draughtproofing work in the same planning window. Book the gasfitter first, get the clearance, then proceed with the sealing work. Keep the Gas Safety Check Report with a clear date stamp — this is your Section 68C evidence.

Documentation to Retain

After the gas check, retain:

• The Gas Safety Check Report with the gasfitter's licence details and check date
• Any Section 68C Draughtproofing Clearance Certificate issued by the gasfitter
• Invoices for both the gas check and the subsequent draughtproofing work, showing the work dates

These records should be kept for at least 7 years under the Section 65F record retention rules that took effect on 13 October 2026.

The Victoria Rental Minimum Standards Compliance Guide covers the full gas safety compliance cycle — routine biennial checks, the Section 68C draughtproofing trigger, and what to do when a gasfitter isolates an unsafe appliance — with a multi-year compliance calendar that tracks both schedules.

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