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If you’re a landlord with a rental property, the rules and regulations on smoke alarms can be overwhelming – but the good news is that it doesn’t have to be.
Once you’ve managed to successfully purchase your first home, there usually comes a point where Aussies start looking at other avenues to increase their income. Suddenly, property becomes less of an obligation and pressure point, and begins to become an appealing option in terms of increasing the bottom line of your bank account every week.
However, becoming a landlord involves a wide range of responsibilities, with the installation of smoke alarms and their relevant maintenance being just the tip of the iceberg. Considering the fact that the laws linked to smoke alarms in rentals have recently changed as of January 1 2022, it’s no wonder that landlords can often feel lost when navigating their obligations.
On top of the many other minimum standards required from rental properties, landlords must comply with the new rules and regulations linked to the installation and ongoing maintenance of smoke alarms.
From 1 January 2022, smoke alarms in all dwellings rented to a tenant must:
Smoke alarms must also be installed on each storey of the property in each bedroom, in hallways which connect bedrooms and the rest of the dwelling. If there is no hallway, smoke alarms must be installed between the bedrooms and other parts of the storey, and if there are no bedrooms on a storey, at least one smoke alarm must be installed in the most likely path of travel to exit the dwelling.
As a general rule, smoke alarms in Queensland must be replaced at least every ten years, and it’s also a legal requirement that faulty smoke alarms or smoke alarms that aren’t working for any reason be replaced immediately. There are also special requirements for stairways, sloping ceilings, and ceilings with exposed beams, and these requirements are explained in the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008. Penalties may be imposed for non compliance with the law, so it’s worth checking out exactly what’s changing in the years ahead in the relevant legislation.
In addition to the above stipulations, landlords or property managers are also required to test and clean the smoke alarms in the dwelling within thirty days before the start of a tenancy, including renewed tenancies. This also includes the replacement of any flat or almost flat batteries. During a tenancy in a domestic dwelling, the tenant must test and clean each smoke alarm in the dwelling, at least once every twelve months.
Although you don’t need to be qualified or licensed to clean or test a domestic smoke alarm, many landlords and property managers opt to outsource smoke alarm maintenance, particularly if they own or manage more than one property. It can be difficult to keep track of what is due when, and a licensed professional will often keep their own calendar to monitor upcoming smoke alarm changes or maintenance required. It’s also worth noting that tenancy rules permit entry for the purposes of complying with smoke alarm legislation.
As such, if you’re on the hunt for a licensed electrician to help work with you in managing your property’s smoke alarms, finding a reputable operator can feel a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. Thankfully, the team at Shield Electrical offer a solution.
Here at Shield Electrical, we are a Brisbane based electrical contracting company, and pride ourselves on being shockingly good at watt we do. For us, friendly and reliable customer service isn’t just a nice add on – it’s how we do business. Don’t take our word for it though, just ask our clients.
Established in 2015, Shield Electrical is lighting the way when it comes to providing electrical work with world class customer service. With our headquarters based in the central suburban pocket of Coorparoo, our team of qualified industry professionals are readily available to deliver quality workmanship, fast quotes, and affordable pricing.
Whether you’re on the hunt for an electrician for domestic services, residential, commercial and industrial construction, security systems or even just further energy saving tips, get in touch with us at Shield today to source practical solutions that don’t break the bank.
