After a thorough analysis, Detector Inspector’s 2023 pricing for its Victorian services has now been finalised and is published below (effective from 1 March, 2023).
We recognise that the cost of compliance has increased over the past few years for all Victorian rental providers and we have sought to minimise our price increases since inception. In fact, the price of our recurring gas service has not increased since it was launched in 2014 and was even discounted as part of the Safer Home plans. Furthermore, our electrical safety check and Safer Home plan pricing has remained constant since January 2020.
Like all Australian businesses, we are being impacted by significant cost pressures in a highly inflationary environment across wages, transport, insurance, parts and our specialised equipment. As a result, we have made the difficult decision to increase the pricing of some services.
Our investments
It is worth reflecting on the investments we have made over the past 3 years since the announcements of the increased compliance obligations were announced to the market.
- Help@DI – We created a dedicated property manager support team based in our Melbourne HQ of ~30 people. Coupled with an investment in an industry leading ticketing system and extensive training, our Help@DI team answers property manager calls, emails and instant messages. With service levels and service quality higher than ever, the team is consistently achieving customer satisfaction scores above 80%.
- Free inclusions in our industry-first subscription bundle – The introduction of pre-paid subscriptions for electrical, gas and smoke alarm compliance services was an industry first. Since we launched it, the value of free callouts and inclusions is estimated to have exceeded $7.5m in value.
- Substantially upgraded Agency Portal – We constantly invest in improving our Agency Portal, and our agencies tell us it’s the best in the market! Since the change in Victorian Regulations, we have spent countless hours in user testing with our property managers and development to make self-service the best option in most cases for our clients.
- Improved and new integrations – We have worked with leading property management software providers including PropertyMe, MRI/Property Tree, OurProperty, Kolmeo and others to deepen our integrations and reduce the hassle for property managers.
- Industry-leading training facility – Specialist training of our large and growing workforce required a significantly upgraded training facility. Through our exclusive partnership with an RTO, we invested in over 14,000 of hours of gas fitter, electrician, apprentice and smoke alarm technician training. Our personnel are the best trained in the industry and coupled with our Technician App, we are confident our service is the best in the market.
- Investment in data science – Coordinating hundreds of field services team members to enter thousands of homes every day is complex. Our investment in data science is helping us to deal with that complexity. In the past 24 months, we have invested in applications like the online appointment scheduler, which provides a collection of optimal appointments for renters to select from, the service time predictor that works out how long we need at each property and the optimal technician day that creates the most efficient routes for our service team to ensure they complete their jobs.
2023 pricing
Detector Inspector offers its services in two ways:
- on a “subscription” basis, via the Safer Home plan, where required services at a property are bundled up into a discounted package; and
- on a “pay-as-you-go” basis, where individual services are provided (and paid for) as requested.
Safer Home subscription plans
From 1 March, 2023, the Safer Home subscription plans will be priced as follows:
| Year 1 | Until 28 Feb 2023 | From 1 March 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke alarm + electrical safety checks | $350 | $379 |
| Gas upgrade: | ||
| For properties with 1 gas appliance only | $210 | $229 |
| For properties with 2+ gas appliances | $328 | $399 |
| Year 2 onwards | Until 28 Feb 2023 | From 1 March 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| For properties with no gas appliances | $215 every year | $239 every year |
| For properties with 1 gas appliance only | $325 every year | $349 every year |
| For properties with 2+ gas appliances | $379 every year | $429 every year |
All prices are excluding GST.
Please note the following important points:
- Safer Home plans still include a bundled discount of ~10% on the pay-as-you-go pricing shown below
- Any properties enrolled in a Safer Home plan prior to 1 March, 2023 will be charged at 2022 pricing for any gas upgrades in their first year. At subscription renewal i.e. after ~12 months, the renewal price will reflect 2023 pricing.
Pay-as-you-go
From 1 March, 2023, pricing for individual services (on a pay-as-you-go basis) will be as follows:
| Safety check | Until 28 Feb 2023 | From 1 March 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke alarm safety check | $99 every year | $99 every year |
| Electrical safety check | $299 every 2 years | $322 every 2 years |
| Gas safety check (one appliance only) | $239 every 2 years | $249 every 2 years |
| Gas safety check (two or more appliances) | $365 every 2 years | $449 every 2 years |
All prices are excluding GST.
At Detector Inspector, we are committed to providing high-quality services and maintaining a high level of safety for our clients. Our investments in expanding teams, services, and technology have allowed us to continue providing that value, but the rising costs of doing business have made it necessary for us to adjust our prices.
