As a homeowner, landlord or property manager you have a legal duty of care to ensure your home(s) are fully smoke alarm compliant in line with current State Building Code standards and the EPA Act.
As of March 2020, the NSW Government introduced strict legislation which requires Real Estate Agents and Landlords to ensure all rental properties have smoke alarms that are current, operating effectively and correctly positioned within the home.
Professional checks and testing
Many landlords are unaware that just changing the battery or pushing the “test” button to see if it works does not constitute legal testing.
A formal test must be completed in accordance with AS3786 and with certification that the smoke alarm will operate effectively in an actual fire situation. This must be performed by industry qualified professionals.
Your full compliance requirements
- If you discover a smoke alarm is not working in your rental property, you must have it repaired, and the battery replaced within 2 business days.
- All alarms must be checked on an annual basis to ensure they are working, and batteries must be replaced every year
- All smoke alarms must be replaced within 10 years of manufacture, or earlier if specified by the manufacturer
- You must give at least 2 business days’ notice to your tenants to inspect or assess smoke alarms and at least 1-hour notice to carry out repairs and replacements.
- Landlords may choose to have smoke alarms hard-wired to mains electricity supply or powered by a non-removable 10-year long-life battery.
- Smoke alarms must be installed on every storey of a house. On storeys with bedrooms, a smoke alarmmust be installed in each bedroom and in the corridors leading to them.
To ensure you maintain full compliance and maximum safety measures for your property portfolio, it’s critical you undertake scheduled routine inspections by qualified professionals on a regular basis; to provide complete peace of mind for your tenants as well as for your hard-earned investments.
If you have any doubts regarding the smoke alarm compliance in your properties, we strongly recommend getting in touch with us today to get started on a comprehensive assessment with our friendly team of qualified professionals.