Tenant and Landlord Guide

Electrical Checks Before Handover in a Rented Home: Circuit Breaker, Lights and Who May Touch Them

Reviewed by Mr Kobayashi, Operations Lead, REINSTATE.by MCSG · Published 11 November 2026 · 6 min read

Before handover, test your residual current circuit breaker (RCCB), check every light and socket, and use a Licensed Electrical Worker for anything beyond replacing a bulb. Singapore law bars anyone but a licensed electrical worker, or someone working under their supervision, from carrying out electrical work, and an owner or occupier must not knowingly engage someone who is not permitted to do it.

Electrical problems at handover are rarely dramatic. They are a light nobody wrote on the inventory, a breaker that keeps tripping, or a quick fix by a friend that the landlord later questions. This guide gives you a short checklist and the rules behind it, so you do not lose your deposit to something that took ten minutes to check.

What should I check before handover?

Switch on every light and check each socket with a lamp or charger, then test the RCCB. Do not open sockets or touch wiring. Do it a week before handover, not on the day, so there is time to fix what you find.

Lights, switches and sockets. Anything that does not work now is easier to explain than a surprise on inspection day.
Aircon and water heater points. Make sure they are as you found them.
Anything you added. Lamps, fans or track lights you installed need a plan: leave them, or have them removed properly.
The residual current circuit breaker (RCCB). Test it using the steps below.

How do I test my home’s residual current circuit breaker (RCCB)?

Push the test button, check that the switch trips, then switch it back on. Singapore's Consumer Product Safety Office says to test it every month, and to contact a Licensed Electrical Worker immediately if it does not trip.

Push the test button on the circuit breaker. The switch should trip.
If it does not trip, call a Licensed Electrical Worker immediately.
Restore the switch to its original position.

The test button is on the RCCB on your distribution board; if you cannot tell which device it is, ask a Licensed Electrical Worker instead of guessing. The steps are from the Consumer Product Safety Office guidance, last updated 19 May 2026. Our own tip: unplug sensitive electronics first, and note that your board may look different, so check its labels.

Why does my breaker keep tripping?

A breaker that trips again and again is a warning, so do not keep resetting it. Causes can include a faulty appliance, moisture or damaged wiring, and only an electrician can tell which.

If it only trips when one appliance is plugged in, stop using that appliance. If it trips with everything unplugged, stop and book a Licensed Electrical Worker. Ask for a written note of what was found, with photos of the board, so any handover discussion with the landlord rests on facts.

Which handover items count as electrical work?

Replacing a bulb is allowed. For changes involving fixed wiring, we advise using a Licensed Electrical Worker. Examples are swapping a switch or socket, removing a hard-wired track light or capping a disused light point.

Section 82(8) of the Electricity Act 2001 carves out two things for your own installation, replacing a lamp and replacing a fuse similar to that of a household, subject to other written law. For other electrical work, section 82(1) requires a licensed electrical worker or someone working under one’s supervision. Our guide to the licensed electrical worker rule sets out the sections and penalties, and our guide to curtains, blinds and light fittings at handover explains what usually stays.

In unit photos like these, fittings such as track lights are easy to overlook on an inventory. Whether they stay is a tenancy question. How they are removed or capped is an electrical one.

Empty room in a vacated apartment with a ceiling track-light rail holding three spotlights, a dark wardrobe and a window onto a balcony — Track lights in a vacated unit: stay or go depends on the tenancy.

Cage-style pendant lamp with a bulb hanging beside a ceiling track rail in an empty room with a balcony door — A pendant lamp beside a ceiling track rail: check the inventory before anyone touches it.

How do I check an electrician is licensed?

Ask for the licence number and check it on the Energy Market Authority's licence search before work starts. EMA lets consumers search for licensed workers online, and licensed workers carry a licence card.

Use the search for electrical workers who offer services to consumers, and match the name and licence number to the person who turns up. The class of licence depends on the scale of the installation. For an ordinary home the standard electrician class is usually enough, but confirm it for your unit.

Ask for the licence number in writing before you book.
Ask for a written scope: what will be done, and what will be left.
Ask for photos of the board and any changed fittings before and after.
Ask what the electrician will tell you if they find a fault outside the scope.

Where does electrical work fit in the handover order?

Do electrical work before the walls are closed up and before painting. If a wall is repaired and painted first, an electrician may have to open it again. Our guide to repainting before handover shows the order we follow.

Worker measuring a wall that has been opened up in a vacated unit, showing a plasterboard panel on a metal stud frame beside a balcony door — A wall opened up in a vacated unit: electrical points are checked before it is closed and painted.

Frequently asked questions

Can I change a light fitting myself before handover?

Replacing a lamp (a bulb or tube) in your own installation is allowed under section 82(8) of the Electricity Act 2001. For a switch or socket swap, a hard-wired fitting or a disused light point, we advise using a Licensed Electrical Worker. If you are unsure whether a task counts as electrical work, ask one before you start.

How often should I test my residual current circuit breaker (RCCB)?

Monthly. Singapore's Consumer Product Safety Office says to push the test button, check that the switch trips, and call a Licensed Electrical Worker if it does not.

Who pays if the DB box needs repair at the end of a tenancy?

It depends on your tenancy agreement and on what the electrician finds. Ask the Licensed Electrical Worker for a written finding with photos, so you and the landlord are discussing the same fault.

What if the landlord says a light fitting is missing?

Check the inventory and the photos you took at move-in. Fittings such as track lights are easy to leave off an inventory, so a dated photo is your best record.

Want a second pair of eyes before handover?

Send photos of your distribution board with only its outer door open, any lights you added, and the handover clause. We will tell you what we would check first and who should do it, before anything is quoted.

WhatsApp us the photos →

Circuit breaker test steps are from the Consumer Product Safety Office guidance last updated 19 May 2026. The licensing rule and the lamp exception are from the Electricity Act 2001, section 82, as summarised in our guide to the licensed electrical worker rule. Photos are from REINSTATE.by MCSG reinstatement jobs.

Who wrote and checked this. Reviewed by Mr Kobayashi, who has over 14 years of Singapore reinstatement experience, for REINSTATE.by MCSG (Microcement Singapore Pte. Ltd., UEN 202436215M, incorporated September 2024). Checked on 10 November 2026 against the Consumer Product Safety Office page (last updated 19 May 2026) and section 82 of the Electricity Act 2001 on Singapore Statutes Online. The photos come from our own reinstatement jobs. This is general information; a Licensed Electrical Worker can assess an electrical fault, and your tenancy agreement decides who pays. See our about page for who we are.

References & further reading

Authoritative sources for further reading. This guide is general information, not legal or electrical advice. A Licensed Electrical Worker can assess an electrical fault; your tenancy agreement and a written discussion with your landlord decide who pays.