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Dead air space is invisible, but it can stop smoke alarms from doing their job. Identifying the best position for placing smoke alarms is crucial for safety, as well as complying with legislation.
Have you heard of dead air space?

Many people don’t know how to spot it, or how to stop it from interfering with smoke alarms.

Dead air space is an unventilated space where air doesn’t circulate. It often occurs where corners meet, like in the apex of a cathedral ceiling, in between exposed floor joists in the ceiling or where the ceiling meets the wall. Air can get trapped here in pockets, so that no new air flows in or out of the space.

What does this mean for smoke alarms?

When a room fills with smoke, the smoke won’t penetrate dead air spaces because the trapped air and lack of circulation keeps the smoke out of that pocket. The smoke will just roll along the path of least resistance, past the dead air space.

If a smoke alarm happens to be mounted in a dead air space, it won’t detect smoke properly because a pocket of air is keeping the smoke away from the alarm’s sensors. The room could be filling with smoke while the smoke detector is effectively trapped in a protective bubble of dead air, preventing it from doing its job!

Smoke alarm placement is complicated – for a reason!

Since most fire fatalities occur when people are sleeping, it’s crucial that smoke alarms are placed to alert people to the presence of smoke with plenty of time to wake up and get out of the building.

The location of smoke alarms can have a significant impact on their performance and ultimately on the safety of the occupants in case of a fire.

Regulations around the number, type and placement of smoke alarms are very specific. It can be frustrating for property owners, but the regulations have been designed that way for good reasons! There are a lot of factors when it comes to safety.

One of the considerations for smoke alarm placement is the avoidance of dead air space. You can’t see dead air space, but a properly trained technician can pick the best placement for smoke alarms to ensure maximum performance in an emergency.

It’s not simple to place smoke alarms correctly, but it’s important to get it right.

The rules for the installation of smoke alarms depend on the building’s use, its size and its layout. The legislation requirements in each state provide a detailed guide, but every building is a little different.

Dead air space is one of the many considerations that an expert technician will take into account when choosing the right positions for smoke alarms in accordance with the guidelines in the legislation.

There’s an art to meeting all the legislative requirements and identifying the best locations for smoke alarms based on the features of the individual building. That’s why it’s important to get somebody with the right expertise to install smoke alarms and perform regular inspections.

A simple solution

Detector Inspector’s trained technicians have expertise in state specific legislation, smoke alarm technology and safety issues. You can rest assured they know what they’re doing!

During an initial smoke alarm safety service

  • Our technician might identify that a hardwired smoke alarm is located in a dead air space.
  • We send out a quote and seek approval to reposition the alarm.
  • If approved, a qualified electrician will be booked to reposition it.

Then Detector Inspector maintains compliance year after year as the legislation changes. Our customisable, automated service system means there’s virtually no admin and no hassle for property managers, owners or tenants.

Enrol your properties in our smoke alarm safety program and never worry about compliance again.

Dead air space can be deadly. It’s not worth the risk!

Before 2019, The Building Code of Australia recommended repositioning any smoke alarm mounted in dead air space, so if the property was built prior to 2019 we’re still able to issue a certificate of compliance if the owner chooses not to go ahead. However, for properties built since 2019, it has become mandatory.

To be safe, we strongly recommend repositioning all smoke alarms to get them clear of dead air space. This will help ensure that all smoke alarms are operating properly and detecting smoke efficiently in case of an emergency.

If the worst happens and a smoke alarm fails to operate when occupants are sleeping, it might be too late.

Plus, there could be liability issues if damage or death occurs from a fire where the owner was informed about dead air space and chose not to reposition a smoke alarm.

For peace of mind on complicated issues like smoke alarm placement, put your properties in the hands of a provider with the right expertise.

Enquire today about getting expert help with smoke alarm safety.

Detector Inspector's smoke alarm safety service provides peace of mind that all smoke alarms at a property are operating correctly and the property is safe and compliant.

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While you’re here

News
Why entry notifications are a game-changer you should be taking seriously
23 June 2021
News
New legal responsibilities for landlords: Does your service provider know what they’re doing?
03 May 2021
News
New rules on electrical safety make DIY a no-go zone
28 January 2021
Responsibilities for agents and landlords are increasing or have already increased in light of new legislation changes in Victoria, NSW and Queensland in 2021 and 2022. Entry notifications enable clustering of your jobs to move through your backlog faster.
What are entry notifications?

Entry notifications (“ENs”) are email or print communications that notify tenants that a mandatory service is to be carried out at their property on a specified date and that the service provider will collect from the agency a duplicate key and use it to gain access regardless of whether the tenant is at the home or not.

It’s a fully automated, system that eliminates your time on the phone chasing tenants.

Full automation means the system is not reliant on agents to monitor responses, communicate with service providers or chase tenants for access to the property.

How do entry notifications work?

It’s a simple process for Detector Inspector to set you up for entry notifications. Once set up, communication to tenants regarding the forthcoming services will be sent for all properties enrolled in the service.

  • When a service is due, an entry notification is sent to tenants via email informing them that one of our technicians will enter using a duplicate key collected from the real estate agency. If the tenant wishes to change the time of entry, they have 48 hours to do so online or by contacting our customer service team.
  • A reminder SMS is sent to all tenants’ mobile numbers 24 hours before the arranged time.
  • Detector Inspector emails the property manager a list of all properties 24 hours before the service date to let you them which keys will be collected.
  • Keys are picked up and returned on the same day as the service, and we GPS track the keys in our possession so that we know their locations throughout the day.
  • Upon arriving at the address on the designated day, our field services team member will ring the doorbell and/or knock on the door prior to entry and upon entry into the property, will loudly announce entry, and where unoccupied, our team member will leave a sign on the front door alerting any returning renters of their presence.
Digital entry notifications. What else they can do?
  • Personalised – all emails are sent from your agency email address.
  • Reliable – the whole exchange is fully automated, from the initial booking to reminders until the job is complete, so nothing gets missed.
  • Prompt – the system doesn’t rely on the agent to follow up responses, so tenants receive timely, professional communication.
  • Non-intrusive – everything is automatically arranged via email, saving the agent the hassle of multiple phone calls and allowing the tenant to respond at their convenience.
  • Streamlined – all this adds up to a system that saves everybody involved time and hassle.
Why we love entry notifications

No paper and no phone calls equals no hassle! It’s a no-brainer.

No hassle for agents. Entry notifications are automatically sent when a property is due for a service. Tenants can confirm or change the time of their appointment online without having to go through the property manager, saving you multiple phone calls.

No hassle for tenants. Automatic notifications make it easy for tenants to understand and comply. The notification explains why our technicians need to enter the property, proposed date & time, and duration of safety check. Tenants have 48 hours to change the appointment online to suit their convenience.

The bottom line is that entry notifications enable clustering of your jobs to move through your backlog faster because they make the process hassle-free for everybody involved.

As part of our strategy to maintain uninterrupted compliance, Detector Inspector will be ditching paper notifications and gradually helping all our clients go digital. If you’d like to make life simpler straight away, contact your account manager and get the ball rolling on digital entry notifications now.

Contact us today to ask about a custom-built compliance management solution for your office.

Keeping on top of the compliance of your rental properties can be a major undertaking. That's why we designed our services, our client support and our technology to save you time, reduce hassle and give you comfort that you are protected.

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2021 and 2022 will see an onslaught of tighter, more complex safety regulations introduced around Australia. With the ultimate legal responsibility falling on the landlord, now is the time to check that your provider has a plan to keep you covered under the new legislation.
New legislation: what it means for landlords

Maintaining compliance at your rental properties is a mammoth task, especially with regulations becoming more complex.

In several states around Australia, the obligations of landlords have recently increased or will increase in 2022.

  • In Victoria, changes to the Residential Tenancies Act and its regulations took effect in 2021 regarding smoke alarm safety and new compulsory safety checks for gas and electrical fittings.
  • In New South Wales, new 2020 legislation introduced more complex responsibilities regarding smoke alarms and new water efficiency standards.
  • In Queensland, landlords are under pressure due to the increased standards for smoke alarms that will require major upgrades to most rental properties by 1 Jan 2022.

Without precise adherence to the regulations and meticulous record keeping to prove it, landlords can be left legally exposed when there is a safety incident at their property. Has your compliance management provider outlined a plan to keep you covered under evolving legislation?

Detector Inspector services are designed to meet and even exceed the minimum standards mandated in the legislation. We stay up to date with legislation changes so that you don’t have to.

Learn more about our specially-tailored solutions for landlords here.

 

Complete coverage with Detector Inspector’s multi-service packages

If your properties are already enrolled in a Detector Inspector safety program, you already know our system sets the industry standard. But did you know we offer a complete range of services to keep your properties fully compliant?

Detector Inspector is long-established as Australia’s leading smoke alarm service provider, but we do much more than just smoke alarms.

We also offer services for gas and electrical fittings, corded blind safety and even water efficiency. These are available as add-ons to your existing smoke alarm service for a simple flat annual fee. We provide exactly what you need based on the local legislation and the features of the property.

If you’re not already receiving the benefit of a bundled service from Detector Inspector, you’re probably missing out on coverage and savings.

Ask your property manager to look into additional services so you can take full advantage.

Time for a compliance check-up?

With legal obligations on landlords increasing, now is the time to check on your compliance management service. Are you sure your provider knows what they’re doing?

Don’t just leave compliance up to your property manager. As the person who is legally responsible, you have the right to ask about the services they’ve engaged on your behalf, and feel assured that the service provider has everything covered.

For over 15 years, Detector Inspector has been keeping rental properties compliant and tenants safe. We’re the experts in compliance legislation, keeping up to date with the changing regulations in every state so that you don’t have to.

Our digital toolkit keeps everything simple and watertight at every step of the process. Self-service tenant booking systems and digital entry notifications minimise the hassle for tenants, and our on-the-spot digital record keeping creates an audit trail to show you’ve met your obligations in case of a safety incident.

If your current compliance management service doesn’t do all that, it might be time to make the switch.

The bottom line for landlords

Safety compliance legislation is becoming more complex around Australia, and service providers are scrambling to keep up.

As the landlord, you bear the ultimate legal responsibility for compliance at your properties. You could be left legally exposed when there’s a safety incident.

Don’t just leave it up to your property manager! Now is the time to check up on your compliance management service.

Detector Inspector are the experts are providing uninterrupted compliance, even when things change.

Are you sure you’re meeting your legal responsibilities as a landlord? Switch to a service provider who knows what they’re doing.

Ask your property manager or get in touch with us directly via below form to enquire about our specialised solutions for landlords.

Keeping on top of the compliance of your rental properties can be a major undertaking. That's why we designed our services, our client support and our technology to save you time, reduce hassle and give you comfort that you are protected.

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When it comes to electrical work, DIY can be dangerous and expensive. To ensure rental properties are maintained to a professional standard, changes to the RTA (VIC) from March 2021 mandate that electrical safety checks and services must be carried out at least every 2 years by a licensed electrician.

It’s tempting for landlords to think that DIY is cheaper and less hassle than hiring a tradie. Property managers and landlords need to be aware of their responsibilities and the risks of unlicensed electrical work. Here are five reasons electrical work should only be carried out by a qualified electrician, plus the low-down on new electrical safety legislation.

1. It’s safer.

DIY can be dangerous: Energy Safe Victoria warns don’t DIY! Electrical accidents injure or kill more than 800 Victorians every year. An average of 75 of these incidents involve children at home. Detector Inspector has serviced thousands of rental properties, and we’ve found that at least 1 in 10 properties has a critical safety issue at the first service that represents a significant risk to tenants. Electric shock can cause permanent burn injuries to the skin and damage internal tissues, vital organs and the nervous system. Electrical faults can also cause house fires. DIY domestic electrical work exposes landlords and tenants to a risk which can be fatal. It’s not worth it!

2. It’s cheaper.

DIY doesn’t really save money in the long run. Landlords might resist paying somebody to do something they can do for free, but DIY doesn’t come with a professional guarantee that the work will last months or years. Quick fixes and patch-up jobs don’t replace a full, regular service: it’s easy for DIYers to overlook wear and tear, leading to the replacement of expensive parts or even the entire system which could have been avoided. Paying a fixed low, annual fee for a complete electrical safety service means landlords can plan for a set budget and are more likely to avoid major surprise expenses.

3. It saves time.

DIY is tricky and time-consuming. Without professional electrical training, DIYers are relying on google and YouTube videos to diagnose and fix electrical problems. It’s a minefield! Trying to repair a problem if you’re not sure what you’re doing is time-consuming and can create a bigger issue than what you started with. Plus, without regular checks and services, new issues will keep cropping up. Keeping the property’s electricals regularly maintained by a licensed professional will save landlords time and issues year-round.

4. It’s done right.

DIY usually involves a bit of guesswork. Professional electricians have the proper equipment and knowledge to pinpoint the precise nature of an electrical problem. Without the right gear and experience, DIYers are working in the dark and risk making mistakes. Making the wrong diagnosis or trying to improvise a fix puts the DIYer at risk of injury and even death. And faulty work that hasn’t been checked by a licensed professional could cause an accident later on, harming the people living in the home. Always hire a properly licensed electrician and get the job done right, first time.

5. It meets legal standards.

DIY done by a non-qualified person can have legal consequences. Minor chores like changing a light bulb can usually be done without too much fuss. But did you know there are fines of up to $100,000 for doing wiring without a license? And if electrical work performed by an unlicensed person leads to injury or death, the person who did the DIY faces up to two years jail time. Don’t risk it! Property managers and landlords have a duty of care to ensure the electrical work carried out at a rental property is done to a professional standard to keep occupants safe. To avoid the risk of legal exposure, only allow a licensed professional to touch the electrics.

Tougher rules on electrical safety: New responsibilities for landlords and property managers

From 29 March 2021, changes to the RTA (Vic) will represent tighter rules on electrical safety. Under the new legislation, an electrical safety service at least every two years will be a mandatory requirement for rental properties in Victoria. The services must be carried out be a licensed or registered electrician and apply to all electrical installations, fittings and appliances.

Renters will also have the right to request the date of the last safety service for both gas and electrical. If the last check has not been conducted within two years of a new renter taking up occupancy of a property, there is an obligation to have the service conducted as soon as practicable. Organising services and keeping appropriate records to meet the new legislation represents a huge administrative burden for property owners and managers.

The hassle-free solution for safer homes

Detector Inspector has created a tailored solution that’s safe, affordable and saves time and hassle. Victorian properties enrolled in our electrical safety service undergo a full safety check every two years, completed in accordance with all applicable standards, codes and legislation. (See what’s included here.)

Our system automatically rolls over the service to ensure that all properties are kept up to date and compliant year-round, with minimal administration for property managers. A predictable, low annual fee allows landlords to budget with no surprises.

Our safer home package for Victorian customers bundles electrical services with mandatory gas and smoke alarm services for a single fee, saving even more money and the hassle of dealing with multiple service providers.

Landlords—don’t be tempted to DIY. Property managers—don’t let them! For complete compliance coverage and peace of mind, contact Detector Inspector by completing the form below and see how our electrical safety service beats DIY, every time.

Our Safer Home Package is a subscription service that provides Victorian property managers and their landlords with a total compliance solution across smoke alarm, gas and electrical services

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Do you know what carbon monoxide is or exactly how gas appliances put people at risk? Do people really still die from CO poisoning at home? And what does the new RTA legislation on gas safety mean for property managers and landlords?
Carbon Monoxide: Carbon Dioxide’s deadly cousin

Have you heard of carbon monoxide? It’s often confused with carbon dioxide (CO2), which is one part carbon to two parts oxygen. Carbon dioxide is what we exhale every time we breathe, and it occurs naturally in the earth’s atmosphere.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is one part carbon to one part oxygen. With its extra concentration of carbon, CO is like carbon dioxide’s deadly little cousin. It’s a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas, and if inhaled, it displaces the oxygen in a person’s lungs. This starves vital organs of oxygen and leads to carbon monoxide poisoning.

You might be thinking, “thanks for the chemistry lesson, but how does this apply to me?”

The thing is, carbon monoxide—the deadly, undetectable gas—is what gets emitted from faulty gas appliances into people’s homes. Inhalation of this gas can overcome a person in minutes, causing serious illness and death.

Does Carbon Monoxide really kill that many people?

Carbon monoxide poisoning is the stuff of nightmares, but does it really happen in modern homes in Australia? The short answer is yes.

In the past decade, countless Australians have suffered and even died due to carbon monoxide poisoning. In Victoria alone, at least nine people have died from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning since 2000 and hundreds more have been admitted to hospital.

In 2015, following a string of tragic carbon monoxide incidents, the Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources teamed up with Energy Safe Victoria. They spearheaded a safety campaign to educate unaware residents, landlords and property managers about the dangers relating to carbon monoxide poisoning from gas heaters and other gas appliances. The main recommendation of the campaign was that householders “find a gasfitter in the local area and have gas heaters serviced at least every two years” (Minister Lily D’Ambrosio, May 2015).

As Australia’s leading residential safety and compliance service provider, Detector Inspector has inspected thousands of homes for gas safety. Our data reveals that at least 1 in every 10 rental properties has a critical gas safety issue posing a significant health risk to the occupants.

So how do you keep people safe?

As a landlord or property manager, it’s your responsibility to ensure that gas appliances are checked regularly and meet compliance standards. From March 29, 2021, new inclusions in the Residential Tenancies Act make gas safety checks mandatory every two years in residential rental properties in Victoria.

Gas safety checks and services must be carried out by a properly qualified and licensed gas fitter. Managing these services on time for all properties and maintaining accurate records represents a huge administrative load for property managers.

Detector Inspector’s Safety Solutions

To meet the demands of new legislation and take the hassle out of your hands, we’ve developed an all-inclusive gas safety service for peace of mind. Gas appliances are checked and serviced every two years in accordance with legislation, with minimal administrative hassle for landlords or property managers.

All Detector Inspector gas services are completed by fully licenced gas fitters who can provide on-the-spot carbon monoxide test results from each gas appliance serviced. All of our compliance services are automatically documented to create a digital audit trail in case of an incident, and automatically scheduled year after year to maintain uninterrupted compliance coverage.

Bundle gas, smoke alarm and electrical safety and get a package discount with a Safer Home Package, our one-stop home safety solution with a single low annual fee.

Most importantly, Detector Inspector services are about more than just ticking a compliance box. Regular gas safety checks save lives.

Prevent deadly carbon monoxide leaks before they occur. Contact us today to enquire about a gas safety service or a safer homes package for the properties you manage.

 

Are you one of our current clients? Contact your Account Manager to learn more about the legislation changes, our gas safety service or our one-stop solution; the Safer Homes Package.

Are you looking for a trusted provider to ensure that the properties you manage are compliant and safe? Fill in the form below and we will be in touch.

 

Our Safer Home Package is a subscription service that provides Victorian property managers and their landlords with a total compliance solution across smoke alarm, gas and electrical services

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You may know us as one of Australia’s largest smoke alarm servicing company, but we have employed electricians for much of the past 15 years and with the changing Victorian Residential Tenancies Regulations, we have been providing an electrical service and safety check since early 2020.

In this video, our focus is on providing property managers with the information they need to speak to their landlords about our electrical safety service. In it, we explain:

  1. Details regarding the elements that make up the service;
  2. Discuss some of the inclusions that we’ve added in to reduce the hassle for property managers and their landlords; and
  3. Let you know what actions we take when we find issues at a property and how we’ll make sure property managers are notified.
electrician testing power points
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Detector Inspector. We make safer homes.

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You may know us as one of Australia’s largest smoke alarm servicing companies, but in the 5 years since we started providing our gas service, we’ve learned that for us, for you and for landlords, servicing gas appliances is different, more involved and more complicated than smoke alarm servicing.

In this video, our focus is on providing property managers with the information they need to speak to their landlords about our gas safety service. In it, we explain:

  1. Details regarding the elements that make up the service;
  2. Discuss some of the inclusions that we’ve added in to reduce the hassle for property managers and their landlords; and
  3. Let you know what actions we take when we find issues at a property and how we’ll make sure property managers are notified.
20JG1110
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Detector Inspector. We make safer homes.

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The only constant in life is change and at Detector Inspector, being adaptive to change is in the job description.

But what about our brand? A brand is a funny thing. It’s hard to pin down what makes a good brand or a bad brand. In the end, a cute icon or a trendy font doesn’t change a damn thing. What’s important is what it represents.

And at Detector Inspector, how we want to represent our story has changed over our 15-year journey.

From one service in one place, to many services in many places.

From compliance at all costs, to safety first.

From a small company to a larger one.

From our people make the difference, to…..well, some things never change.

With change comes new possibilities and it is now time for our brand to reflect the company we’ve become.

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Our Safer Home Package provides ongoing protection for property managers and landlords by ensuring optimal safety and compliance.

Learn more
Detector Inspector is pleased to announce the successful integration of its technology with Property Tree’s cloud-based property management software.

The integration, completed as a part of Property Tree’s innovative new Partner Gateway, means that Property Tree’s clients can seamlessly connect to Detector Inspector via its DI Connect solution.

Further simplifying the safety and compliance obligations, this means that partner real estate agencies who also use Property Tree can:

  • Automate all updates of tenant and property details, such as name and contact details
  • Automate the update of key numbers and property manager details
  • Flag lost/archived properties

This brings the number of direct API integrations with leading property management software within Detector Inspector’s system to seven, with further integrations to be announced soon.

“Property Tree’s software solution is used by many of our partner agencies. The team at Property Tree have been great to work with and their ambition for their Partner Gateway is exciting. We’re getting a great response from our clients that use Property Tree and with our focus on simplifying safety & compliance for our partner agencies, the saved time and reduced hassle for our property manager is a win-win.”

Alex Ledda, Detector Inspector’s CTO

About Detector Inspector

Detector Inspector has been making safer homes for over 15 years. Visiting over 240,000 properties in the past year across 6 states and territories, Detector Inspector partners with property managers to provide smoke alarm, gas and electrical safety services, corded blind compliance checks and a range of further services to make homes safer for tenants and compliance simpler for landlords.

Click here to learn more about Detector Inspector difference.

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Our Safer Home Package provides ongoing protection for property managers and landlords by ensuring optimal safety and compliance.

Learn more
Detector Inspector, Australia’s Number 1 residential safety & compliance company is pleased to announce the acquisition of the business of Sydney Smoke Alarms & Compliance, further strengthening its fast-growing NSW operations.

Sydney Smoke Alarms, founded six years ago by two firemen, Andrew Webb and Frank Sako, built strong and trusted business relationships with more than 50 real estate agencies through responsiveness, great service and flexibility.

Andrew Webb, co-founder of Sydney Smoke Alarms said:

“We are delighted to join the team at Detector Inspector, who we’ve watched with interest over the past few years. We had a number of options, but ultimately, we wanted to ensure that our clients were taken care of by a company that shared our values of excellence in customer service and a strong safety & compliance culture and that was run by people who we liked and trusted. Detector Inspector had that in spades.”

Jordan Kagan Gescheit, co-CEO and co-founder of Detector Inspector said:

“Detector Inspector’s business is continuing to grow strongly, scaling fast in all markets. The opportunity to acquire the Sydney Smoke Alarms’ business together with the expertise, care and dedication of Andrew and Frank was an easy decision for us to make. Building off our scalable technology platform and growing team, our NSW business is going from strength to strength and we remain on the look out for further opportunities to accelerate growth in NSW and elsewhere in the near future.”

Jordan Kagan Gescheit, co-CEO and co-founder of Detector Inspector said:

“I’m thrilled to welcome Andrew and Frank and their agency customers to Detector Inspector NSW. I am looking forward to taking learnings from their rich experience over the past six years and showing their loyal agency clients how Detector Inspector can build on their legacy with our superior technology designed specifically to reduce the time and friction of safety & compliance servicing of rental properties for agencies and their landlords.”

- ENDS -

For more information

Simon Chamberlain
EGM – Strategy & Growth
simon@detectorinspector.com.au

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