Smoke Alarms Australia

What do you mean falls to the tenant for servicing? Are you talking about not tampering with smoke alarms?

 

The NSW tenancy agreement only extends to battery replacement.

 

SAM Systems will do as many call outs as necessary for $69 per year, in QLD the alarms are required to be checked/tested at the start of each tenancy. This could mean 2 checks per year if 6 monthly lease is in place.

 

Complied Australia do it for only $55 per year including full photographic compliance as evidence.

 

Really good solid information here from Dan.
The other main aspect which all investors should consider is that there is VERY DIFFERENT and VERY SEPARATE legislation and Building Code requirements that affect landlords in a Strata situation.
The difference being that there is legislation mandating the requirements of (type, location etc) of smoke alarms and ongoing maintenance in both:

1. The common areas within class 2 buildings - mandated under BCA VOLUME ONE. This is typically what Strata managers have a contractor and/or process in place for. This is where they typically 'test' and report on a PERCENTAGE of a building. This is tested by companies under what is commonly referred to as "passive fire protection" and involves not only the smoke detectors, but fire extinguishers, signage, lighting etc.
Now the kicker is that this "percentage" check ONLY applies for the actual individual IP's (inside the separate dwellings) under this regime if the said building has an alternative smoke alarm system under AS1670 installed within the sole-occupancy units in addition to the requirements in the common areas of the building.
This being smoke "detectors" inside the units as opposed to smoke "alarms".
However if the sole-occupancy units within the building have smoke "alarms" (self-contained sensor and siren in the one unit), this regime is not required to extend to the smoke alarms in the sole-occupancy units themselves, however is sometimes (but rarely) voluntarily adopted.

2. Sole-occupancy units within buildings (typically class 2) - mandated under BCA VOLUME TWO.
If you have smoke "alarms" within the actual unit itself (the part of the dwelling you actually lease out to renters), the BCA requirements are very different.
In QLD, the testing and maintenance requirements fall under the Fire and Emergency Services Act 1990 (Qld).
The Act actually calls the landlord to conduct maintenance etc, however does allow for the landlord (wording revised now to 'property owner') to engage a third party.
This is where property managers typically engage a smoke alarm company.

In a nutshell, if your IP has smoke "alarms" inside the unit (many do as this is the minimum requirement at time of build nationwide) rather than smoke "detectors" then you should certainly double check exactly what the strata regime actually covers as in these cases the alarms within the sole-occupancy units are often not checked (and not required to be) under the "passive fire protection" arrangements.
Hence where in many cases these buildings will have both a passive fire protection contractor (eg, Fire Vac Services, Chubbs etc) organised by strata management and individual landlords and/or property managers will engage a smoke alarm company for the smoke alarms inside the units themselves.

 

Dan?

...and great information from yourself!

 

I am surprised no one has said it yet......

Lot of smoke and mirrors, that is what it is !

 

Yes I agree it is over kill, however this has all come about from tenants taking the batteries out of smoke alarms, in QLD there were 11 members from the same family killed last year due to no working smoke alarms in the property (the tenants had removed the batteries). QLD now have the strictest legislation in the country, or will have by 2021 when all rental properties must be compliant. Example Each bedroom of the house for compliance will then require a photoelectric / interconnected smoke alarm in each bedroom and living areas, hence a single storey 4 bedroom house will require at least 6 smoke alarms. And even with this new legislation I still walk into properties and find the smoke alarm under the coffee table with the battery taken out - it is so frustrating

Tenants find it easier to knock them down and/or take the battery out then to simply make a call to their PM and have the fault rectified.

Just goes to show you can't legislate for stupidity.

 

Nope, you can't, but the politicians seem to think they are there to just make new laws.

see my post Smoke Alarms Australia

The nett result is, PMs try and now push this onto someone else, the rules are not that hard to comply with & just because things get harder in a job, does not mean costs should be raised for owners.

Smoke alarms are about 20 bucks, a PM could buy them in bulk a lot cheaper, kand could plonk a new one in with each new tenant if they like, then they could remind tenant it is time to change battery, if tenant has them under the table, or elsewhere, or disabled, that is on them.

So a 4 year lease could cost owner, say 20 bucks, not up to 350-400, if you have multiple places, this adds up, it could be a point of difference too & be used to gain more business.

As I said elsewhere, if an effort has been made to follow the rules, this should avoid major problems if the worst happens, but even if you have been using external place, you will be in same boat and answering questions if the worst does happen.

 

This depends on current state legislation, this wouldn't be possible in QLD

 

Hi Tanya,

What is not possible ?

And why ?

Clearly when new QLD regs apply and you have a place that has 5 or 6 alarms, that would be different to a single story now, or NSW single storey where it is one battery operated alarm is reqd, but NSW PMs push the same thing, it must come from the REA institutes or some such.

 

NSW PM should only apply the current legislation in their particular state, nothing more nothing less. From my information the NSW legislation has not changed, therefore 1 or 2 alarms as necessary per property.
Qld is currently in a transition period until 2021, when full compliance will be required. Full compliance in Qld will require a photoelectric and interconnected alarms in each bedroom and outside the bedrooms after 2021, depending on the age of the property, either hard wired or non tamper proof. The Brooke's alarms are the only interconnectable Australian Standard alarm at a cost of approximately $230 each, it will be an extensive exercise for QLD investment property owners.

 

You have to love reactionary law makers

Let's see what the tenants with all day to stay home come up with to bypass, while they may be reckless or stupid, but if there is way to circumvent, I bet a bunch still do.

Can see potential LL claims for replacement of 5 or 6 expensive smoke alarms

 

Yes that will push up rent quite possibly to cover costs. Oh yes tenants won't simply be able to knock them down or take out the batteries

 

Frankly, I can't understand why LL don't install hardwired smokies in all cases. Batteries are there for backup (in case of fire and the power fails).

Smokies in bedrooms are useless unless there is one outside the bedroom/hallway etc and interconnected as the bedroom will not activate if there's raging fire outside and the door is closed.

LL/PMs should be pushing the annual service cost onto the tenant (put it in the lease) as there's the obligation on the tenant to replace the battery - if they don't need to do it they won't.

 

I used to ask for hard wired, but seeing it is bet to replace every 10 years, am ok with battery ones. I also changed my mind when I asked for some places to be hard wired and the guys just went ahead with battery ones.

Exactly, make them have the option if they are too lazy to follow legislation to help themselves, then they can pay 50-100 bucks a year ! too right !

 

Special conditions are a wonderful thing when you can refer back to the clause in the lease which refers to the owner having to change a battery at the start of the lease and the tenant being responsible thereafter.

 

Special conditions are great but they can't override state legistation

 

I've seen smoke sensors/alarms in rooms taped up with gladwrap by smokers

 

At least they wouldn't yellow with the nicotine.