Springvale homes
Early-1960s estates
Springvale's clearest post-war residential growth came in the early 1960s, when estates with made roads and services replaced unserviced subdivisions. The suburb is mostly residential, with small industrial pockets in the north-west and north-east.
A real mix
Of 7,165 occupied homes in 2021, 69.4% were separate houses, 20.1% semi-detached, terrace or townhouses, 9.0% flats and 1.4% other dwellings.
Rented and owned outright
39.2% of homes were rented, 31.7% owned outright and 23.0% owned with a mortgage.
If you rent out a Springvale property
Book the gas safety check
From 13 October 2026, gas and electrical safety checks every two years apply to every Victorian rental. The gas check needs a gasfitter endorsed for Type A gas appliance servicing.
Check the living room heater
Every rental needs a fixed heater in good working order in the main living area. For agreements from 29 March 2023, it must be an energy efficient one, such as a gas space heater or split rated 2 stars or above.
Know what happens when it fails
From 1 March 2027, a main living area heater that permanently fails must be replaced with an energy efficient electric one: a non-ducted unit with a 2 star or better heating rating, or ducted electric with an HSPF of 3.2 or above.
Plan the cooling
Fixed cooling in the main living area is needed for new agreements and month-to-month conversions from 1 March 2027, and for every rental from 1 July 2030. A non-ducted unit needs a cooling rating of 3 stars or above.
Owners living in their own home
No rule makes you change a working gas heater. If you've got an old gas wall furnace or space heater in a 1960s house, get it serviced and checked by a gasfitter at least every two years, as Energy Safe Victoria advises, and replace it on your own timing. A reverse cycle split in the living area is the usual replacement because it also cools.
What we'd do
Our advice in Springvale
For a rental, we'd replace an old living room heater with an efficient reverse cycle split before it fails, rather than in a rush mid-winter. One unit that meets both ratings ticks the heating standard and the 2030 cooling standard at once. For your own home, service what works and upgrade when it suits you.
Tell us the job and the 3171 postcode. Licence-checked local installers who do that sort of work can see it; only the one who accepts it gets your phone number and email. If nobody near Springvale accepts it within 48 hours, installers elsewhere in Victoria may see it too.
