QLD landlords - saving money on smoke alarms

The new QLD smoke alarm deadline is creeping up. Most landlords will be receiving quotes from their PM for upgrading their smoke alarms. And in almost every case - the poor landlord will be paying too much. I wanted to share three ways QLD landlords can save money when upgrading their smoke alarms to meet the new rules.

1. Do it yourself

If your property doesn't have 240v hard wired alarms, all the alarms can be 10 year battery alarms, wirelessly interconnected. To install these takes 1 minute per alarm, and to get them to talk to each other takes 2 minutes. So why not do it yourself? This is what you could save:

Quote from PM using their smoke alarm company - $ 169 per alarm
No of alarms required - 5
Total cost through PM - 5 x $ 169 = $ 845
Buy the alarms yourself - 5 x $ 69 = $ 345
Money saved - $ 500

2. You say who does the work

The price being charged per alarm by your PM's smoke alarm company can vary widely - even above $200 per alarm. One of the biggest cost influencers on this price is the brand of smoke alarm they use. Some companies use Brooks alarms, which are a great alarm but very expensive. Most companies that use Brooks charge around $ 200 per alarm. Other companies that use Red brand as an example only charge $145.00 - $ 175 per alarm. Remember - you are the boss and you can say which company does your upgrades. If you have received a quote for up to $200 per alarm, insist that your PM uses your company of choice - one that charges $ 145 - $ 169 for example to do the same job. I am happy to provide a list of companies that will save you money - message me privately.

You could save 5 x $ 55.00 = $ 275 by doing this.

3. Check the warranty

This is so important I can't emphasise it strongly enough. Most alarms being installed are 10 year battery alarms. So they need to last 10 years. What if they don't? What if they go faulty? What's your warranty period on the alarms being installed? If they don't last 10 years, or they go faulty outside your warranty period - you are going to pay for the replacement again. So you will be paying twice.

I am almost speechless that some of the large smoke alarm companies only offer a 3 year warranty on their smoke alarms. A miserable 3 year warranty on an alarm that needs to last for 10 years. If that's not a lack of confidence in their alarms, I don't know what is.

My strongest advice is that you insist that your PM only uses a company that provides a full 10 year warranty on the alarms installed - anything less than this can cost you a great deal of money at some stage in the next 10 years. And certainly don't accept alarms that only come with a 3 year warranty - that would be downright crazy. If you want to know which alarms and which companies provide a full 10 year warranty - message me privately.

So these are 3 of my cost-saving tips for Queensland landlords (I've got more!!). Upgrading to meet the new smoke alarm rules is very expensive, and I know none of you want to waste money or pay too much. Hopefully these tips will help YOU save money.

 

Thanks @Sue from Red .
Quick question: What qualification does the Owner need to install those smoke alarms? I am referring to properties with no existing wiring.
I am expecting some of our DIY-Owners would want to do it themselves but conscious of our responsibility as many of them are strata-title.
Would have thought only Licenced Electrician can do it. How about those with Restricted Licence?

 

Hi Pumpkin. The short answer is - none.

An electrician is always required when installing 240v hard wired alarms, but not battery alarms. Anyone can legally do it. The installation side is easy - it's literally two screws into a ceiling per alarm, and syncing them together takes almost no time. The important thing to get right is the positioning. You need to be careful of dead air-space, too close to ceiling fans, lights and AC outlets etc. I'm happy to post where they should and shouldn't be located if anyone is interested.

 

I got quoted $880 odd for a 3 bedroom house (4 alarms) by the PM. When I declined, got abused by the PM
I can get 2 houses done for that price, by my own sparkie who I know does good work.

 

That's just highway robbery Mickey7. $220.00 per alarm??? And the person you are actually paying to manage your property abused you? I know what I would do if that happened to me.

 

Hi Sue, I am interested in DIY installation. A question about the battery DIY - I would purchase the five alarms. I thought we also require another device to wirelessly "connect" them, is this the case with your alarms?

 

Hi Angel. With the 10 year RF wireless smoke alarms, you do not need any other device or fitting - just the alarms themselves. Some brands like Brooks do need an additional device, but not ours.

 

Awesome, Thanks

 

Thanks @Sue from Red made me look up what I paid a month back.
I managed to lock in $119 per detector for 10 year lithium's. I'm going to guess for that price I don't have 10 years warrant

 

Yeah.. she doesn't work there anymore.

Sue, any chance of letting us know the prices of your alarms? I don't want to register an account just to see prices.

Thanks.

 

We had a major fire in an IP, never think it's going to happen to you but it happens.
The alarms went off and were under a service contract, we had all the documentation. We were asked for the compliance documentation by the Qld Fire and Rescue Service.

I would never install and test myself, you need the compliance documentation.
Once bitten - fire alarm compliance is not something to save money on.

 

Preach!

 

Been following this discussion as I think eventually all properties will be required to have these interconnected alarms fitted - not just Qld, not just rentals....
@Sue from Red - Was thinking the 10yr battery wireless interconnect with the wall controller is a good package.
Surely there is some compliance documentation enclosed with each alarm unit - tested before sale?
Then annual test by RE contractors... to maintain compliance...?

 

Its already a mandatory requirement in QLD since January 2017 on all newly built dwellings
Required in leased dwellings and dwellings being sold by January 2022
Required in existing dwellings by January 2027

Its all well and good to put these legal requirements in place, and I support them- my PPOR is already upgraded and so are my IP's - but the industry also needs some further regulation

 

So, if the other installers are ripping people off, how much would you charge to install a battery alarm? Unfortunately I don't live in Brisbane where my IPs are.

 

I don't install or service smoke alarms - I sell smoke alarms to the people who do. The average price for installing a 10 year RF wireless smoke alarm to meet the new QLD legislation range from $119 - $220 and anywhere in between. Depending on the brand of smoke alarm being used, it can cost the installer anywhere from $65.00 - $ 150.00 just to buy the alarm.

 

I totally agree. There are so many companies starting in Queensland who smell a quick buck, and they haven't got a clue what they are doing. Buyer beware.

 

Sorry Mikey, I've been away from the Forum and just saw this. If you want to message me your email address I'll send you a price list.

 

Hi Foreshadow. I too don't think you got a 10 year warranty. Based on the price you paid I think I know who did it and if you check you may find it's a 3 year warranty only. There is one company our there who offers a 5 year guarantee, but if you pay more they will extend it to 10 years. What a joke - charging the customer a premium for a 10 year warranty when the alarms have to last 10 years.

 

I would argue it may be worth putting that view to the ACCC and Fair Trading to determine if a consumer has a implied warranty under consumer law. This reek sof the iPhone warranty issue. Apple used to sell phones with 12mth warranty and made a lot of $$$ selling a extended warranty. ACCC said all phones should last as long as intended life implied by contract eg 2 years.

I dont know if they would agree to 10 - Thats just the expected battery life. But it does imply that the life of the device should be as long as its own battery - being sealed too. That seems to suggest that replacement of a battery isnt permited at 10 years. And since a detector has a max service life of 10 years it suggestive of a 10 year device life.