Smoke detector service - worth it?

Is paying a business to test the smoke alarms worth it, especially if you live far from some of the properties? Or if you have good tenants can you get them to test the smoke alarms, follow the checklist, and report back to you?

 

It is owner's responsibility so I would say it is worth it and you will receive a certificate and stay on the safe side.

 

This is a personal value judgement. Some people say you should because you get "a certificate", but as smoke detector services is not a regulated industry the certificate has the same value to a regulator or an insurer as a scribbled note on a scrap of toilet paper by a homeless guy passing a Hungry Jack's - i.e. it has zero value.

If you feel you can trust the tenants to test the smoke alarm and swiff a duster or vacuum over it and report whether it passes or not, you are welcome to do that. Bear in mind you or your agent still need to test prior to commencement of a new tenancy as well, and some agents refuse to do this, often citing workplace health and safety or liability reasons.

My personal view is this is a have, as you do not need to get on a ladder to push the smoke alarm test button or run a duster over it, and the legislation holds the lessor/agent liable for the smoke alarms even if they engage a third party to test them anyway (to top it off, all of the smoke alarm companies have a standard form agreement that disclaims liability and requires the REA/lessor to indemnify them against legal liability!)

Apart from these though, there are some benefits you should factor in. These alarm companies usually include replacement alarms at no additional charge if one is faulty or damaged, and will respond to unlimited callouts at no additional charge to fix them when your tenant or PM reports issues.

As long as you assess the value and are happy with what you get for the price, go for it. But don't go in expecting that they will be any safer than just doing it yourself or that they will make you any less liable.

 

i would not bother using this service

just make sure its in working order when tenant moves in. Its tenants responsibility to advise if its not working

When pm performs inspections, place it on list, tick it off as working or not and take appropriate action then if required

no need to spend money if you dont need to.

 

Its a bit misleading to suggest they "service" smoke detectors. However they do inspect and check compliance
eg failed battery, expired units, failed unit etc. Most people incorrectly still think you can just keep adding batteries. However a detector that is 10 years past its manufacture date is expired and shouldnt be reused (Australian Standards and state fire alarm laws). Also these firms know state laws and hard wired and other requirements that are changing and evolving. eg unit has been painted = defective. Insect infested etc. Some types are now not recommended or are considered inffective and when the batteries fail they should be replaced. Replacement units include sealed units which self-test (blinking light and self test button) and cant be fiddled with when the battery fails at 10 years.

Each state law varies and a inspection at the time of new tenancy may not suffice. The unit manufacture data is often underneath the unit but newer units have it printed on the side.
Basically if you see a radioactive sign inside the unit it could well be outdated. (But may not yet be). If the unit also has a light it likely IS outdated. Illuminated alarms arent allowed unless hardwired.

Each owner should check their state requirements and ensure they maintain compliance. REAs wont generally test an alarm works. These services may assist them and you do that.

There is no statutory requirement to have a expert assess compliance.

We had to upgrade ours last month in a foreign property with 4 units. Not just hardwired in every main + bed room but also back to the brigade monitoring !!

 

To who? The insurer? Not a licensed/regulated industry. It proves nothing. To the regulator? Again, not a licensed/regulated industry. Proves nothing.

I maintain the original statement. The "certificate" is worthless. It doesn't actually prove the smoke alarm was checked. It doesn't prove that it worked. If the fire service were to prosecute for failing to perform required checks of the smoke alarm and you presented it as evidence, you would be laughed out of the court. Anything short of a statutory declaration proves nothing.

 

What license? It's not a licensed and regulated industry. I could go start up a smoke alarm company tomorrow, and legally a certificate by me would have the same value as one by Smoke Alarm Solutions, or a rando walking past down the street.

That in mind, just to be clear, I'm not saying there's no value in these companies. They provide all-inclusive testing, on-the-spot replacement for failed alarms, and expertise in helping owners and agencies keep up with requirements - this has value, and for most owners there's good odds that value would easily justify the cost. I just don't agree with people not having all the relevant facts to make a value judgement.

 

Either way a good PM can solve this issue relatively quickly. Which is more cost effective, its that simple, we are not trying to fly to the moon

 

The Best thing I even done was service them myself, just had so many problems when we used smoke alarm companies, I even caught them out leaving the old batteries in.

 

100% agree that without any regulations any “certificate” is useless, it would only ever confirm that at that exact moment of testing that the unit works, what about the next day, next week etc

If you are not self managing or don’t live close to the property then it’s just a regular cost that will have to be incurred

 

They don't guarantee new batteries- most of the time the batteries get tested and if they pass, they stay in. New batteries are unnecessary every year.
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Responding to a couple of points bought up in the thread:

- Landlord, Tenant and Property Manager aren't licensed, qualified or regulated either, so will their compliance check also be laughed out of court? In which case, why even bother trying to keep the house safe and protect yourself from litigation in event of tragedy?
- Many of the companies only use fully qualified electricians (I personally think this is a waste of money, but here we are) who ARE licensed and regulated.
- There is a professional expectation that these companies specialize in this activity and I would be very shocked if there wasn't at least some legal standing if the compliance report is provided as proof that the statutory requirements were met. The Real Estate Industry nationally has been advised by legal practitioners that this is the case.
- Most companies take photos these days to prove that they've been on site, checked the alarm and replaced batteries if necessary.
- The claim that the certificate is useless because it only checks the performance of the unit in one moment would discredit any sort of testing or compliance by anyone on anything. Pool safety certificates, Roadworthies, Fire Safety checks, Electrical test and tag, etc etc etc.
- I've never seen a Smoke Alarm company make me or a Landlord sign a legal indemnity for their services. That would defeat the entire point.

Also, before someone brings it up, in 99.999% of cases, we are not getting kickbacks from these companies.
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I've had about 2% of my Landlords ask to check their own alarms in the last few years, which we're more than happy to facilitate if they know what they're doing. It's simple right?

I've personally observed each of these Landlords inspecting and testing the alarms incorrectly, resulting in one case of them paying for an Electricians callout from their Builder when they made a warranty claim for an alarm that wasn't acually broken.

Fast forward to now, only one of those Landlords still checks their own alarms, and I've buried him in information to make sure he correctly checks the alarms from now on (e.g. current and future legislation, testing procedures for different alarms, alarms that pass australian standards, etc). The rest found it far more convenient to pay between $59-$99p.a. for someone to do it for them and know that it's done on time and done right.

As far as I know, our laws are a bit more stringent in QLD than in the south- we have to get alarms checked 30 days prior to lease renewals OR annually, whichever is sooner. I guess if you already spend time at the property (e.g. self managing?) and don't have to check as often, it might make more sense to educate and self test?

 

After having multiple tenants just rip the alarms off the ceiling because it 'beeped', and it's not noticed until the tenancy is terminated, we now get them serviced.

 

It's recommended by QFES to be done annually unless it's a long life, even if the battery reads a high voltage, the battery can be old and eventually leak in the alarm and damage it.

 

ive always wondered, each service requires someone to go out and press the button at least once per year, including travel time would be 1 site per hour for example,

how do they make any money?

 

Balanced by the number of apartments (say) Barry Plant might manage in one Docklands building - so perhaps ten done in a half day session if you can line up the appointments.

 

apartment would definitely be possible, much harder with free standing homes as well, I guess the houses could all be in the same area