How do you know the smoke alarm is working correctly? Answer – I don’t know!

Pushing the button tells you if the batteries are working, but doesn’t tell you if the detector is operating properly.

Keeping track of working smoke alarms has been a legal requirement for property managers and landlords since 2016.  The responsibility for smoke alarms is shared by tenants and landlords.  Both parties are subject to fines of up to $4,000 for failing to meet their obligations.  Landlords are to ensure smoke alarms are working at the beginning of each new tenancy and also remain in working order during the tenancy.  Tenants must notify the landlord as soon as possible if any smoke alarm becomes faulty, they must avoid damaging, removing or disconnecting any smoke alarm (and for older alarms that are still within the 10 year expiry time frame, replace batteries if they go flat).

We encourage owners to opt into an annual subscription ($99 incl GST) to have smoke alarms checked annually, this includes unlimited revisits for faulty or broken alarms as well as checking between tenancies (a legal requirement is to provide a statement of smoke alarms in a tenancy agreement). This also includes the cost of any smoke alarms that need to be installed, regardless of how many.  For existing alarms that meet the criteria they provide a full report so that owners know they have all the information to meet their legal requirements.

Creating peace of mind for landlords (and tenants) is a part of our job.