Is old electrical wiring in my house dangerous?

The short answer

Rubber and early plastic insulated wiring degrades with age and heat, and cabling installed before about the 1960s is often at the end of its life. The risk is real but it is assessed by inspection, not by the age of the house alone.

TradieAnswers editorial · written in-house and sourced to the authorities listed below

Checked against 4 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this

Cable insulation is a consumable. Early rubber insulated cable, sometimes with a lead or cotton braid sheath, becomes brittle and crumbles, particularly in a hot roof space. Once the insulation cracks, conductors can touch each other or touch metal, and the failure mode is a fire in a cavity nobody is looking at.

Signs worth taking seriously

Cloth or braided sheathing visible at the switchboard or in the roof space.
Insulation that flakes or crumbles when a cable is moved.
Round black rubber cable rather than flat modern grey or white cable.
Recurring nuisance tripping that has no obvious appliance cause.
Discolouration or a burnt smell at a power point, switch or the board.

It is rarely all or nothing

A full rewire is disruptive and expensive, and it is often not what the house needs. Many older homes have had sections replaced over decades, so what remains is a mixture. A competent inspection identifies which circuits are original and which have been redone, and staged replacement, starting with the worst circuits and the switchboard, is a legitimate approach that spreads the cost.

Who does this work

You need a licensed electrician

Because assessing the condition of fixed wiring requires testing it, which is licensed work.

This is licensed work in every Australian state and territory. Check a licence in your state

Where are you?

Who regulates electrical in your state

Trade regulation in Australia is state law, so the body that answers this depends on where the work is. Pick yours.

New South Wales — NSW Fair Trading: Electrical work is licensed with no homeowner exemption. NSW publishes a plain-language page on what electricians may do and what you must not. How to check a licence in NSW
Victoria — Energy Safe Victoria: Electrical and gas safety regulation, and the register of licensed electrical workers. Separate from the building regulator. How to check a licence in VIC
Queensland — Electrical Safety Office, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland: Electrical licensing and safety sit outside the QBCC. Electrical work is licensed with no homeowner exemption. How to check a licence in QLD
Western Australia — Building and Energy: Electrical contractor licensing and electrical worker licensing, plus electrical safety regulation. How to check a licence in WA
South Australia — Consumer and Business Services: Electrical work also sits under the PGE licence classes rather than a separate electrical regulator. How to check a licence in SA
Tasmania — Consumer, Building and Occupational Services: Electricians are licensed under the Occupational Licensing Act 2005 and appear on the same register. How to check a licence in TAS
Australian Capital Territory — Access Canberra: Electricians and gas appliance workers are licensed under the same Act and appear on the same registers. How to check a licence in ACT
Northern Territory — NT WorkSafe: Electrical worker and contractor licensing sits with NT WorkSafe rather than either board. How to check a licence in NT

Sources

Every source below was fetched and its response recorded on the date shown. Where a government site blocks automated clients, that is noted rather than reported as a successful check.

Electricians · NSW GovernmentChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
Search a public register · Energy Safe VictoriaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
Building and Energy · Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (WA)Checked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
Standards Australia · Standards AustraliaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK