Frequently Asked Questions

The new legislation refers to the type, quantity and location of smoke alarms : class 1a buildings (e.g. houses/townhouses) and class 2 buildings (e.g. units/apartments). It does not include short term stay dwellings such as holiday units, motels, dormitories, caravans or other buildings.

This means that all landlords and property managers of residential buildings for lease will be impacted by the need to upgrade smoke alarms in compliance with new legislation.

The new regulations will place an administrative, practical and financial burden on landlords and their already stretched property managers.

From 1 January 2022, all dwellings being leased, re-leased or sold will be required to have photoelectric smoke alarms that are either 240-volt hardwired interconnected or powered by a non-removable 10-year battery installed in every bedroom and on each storey of the property, in accordance with specific placement guidelines outlined in the legislation.

For property managers, this will represent a huge task in terms of organising and recording the installation and/or upgrade of hardwired interconnected smoke alarms in all the residential buildings managed by your agency.

While landlords are legally responsible for ensuring that their properties comply with legislation, agents may be contractually obliged to inform owners of their responsibilities and ensure that the properties under their management comply.

The deadline for installing smoke alarms in accordance with the new legislation is 1 January 2022 for all dwellings being leased, re-leased or sold.

All other dwellings will need to have their smoke alarms upgraded by 1 January 2027.

Any smoke alarms installed after these dates will be required to be powered by either a hardwired 240-volt or a 10-year tamper-proof battery, and be interconnected (either wired or wirelessly) to all other required smoke alarms in the dwelling.

Newly built properties must adhere to these legislative requirements from 2017, using only 240v alarms.

With approximately 400,000+ rental dwellings in QLD, we anticipate high demand and rising prices as the deadline approaches.   

Detector Inspector recommends upgrading your properties now to stay ahead of the game, and to reduce the impending costs for your landlords.

From 1 January 2022 for dwellings being leased, re-leased or sold (and 1 January 2027 for all other dwellings), smoke alarms must be installed on each storey:

• in each bedroom; and
• in hallways which connect bedrooms and the rest of the dwelling; or
• if there is no hallway, between the bedrooms and other parts of the storey; and
• if there are no bedrooms on a storey, at least one smoke alarm must be installed in the most likely path of travel to exit the dwelling.Additional information is available in the Smoke Alarm Installation Information Sheet. 

While the centre of the room if the preferred location for smoke alarms, this is not a requirement. On a flat ceiling they have to be 300mm from corners or lights and 400mm from anything that may blow air such as air conditioner heads or the edge of the blade of a ceiling fan.

Any new dwelling that had an application to be constructed submitted after 31 December 2016 will need to comply fully with the new legislation.

Interconnected smoke alarms are connected to other smoke alarms in the dwelling either directly or wirelessly. This means that if one smoke alarm detects smoke, they all sound.

Not necessarily. Smoke alarms can be interconnected any way that allows all smoke alarms to sound when one is in alarm (i.e. when one activates, they all sound). This can be done by physically wiring them together or using wireless technology (or a combination of both). Wireless technology is available for both 240-volt and battery-operated smoke alarms.

The landlord is responsible for the installation of smoke alarms that comply with legislation.

Additional information on installation is available in the QFES Smoke Alarm Installation Information Sheet. 

The lessor/landlord must test and clean each smoke alarm in the dwelling within 30 days before the start of a tenancy in a domestic dwelling. This applies regardless of the length between new tenancies.

A renewal or extension of an existing tenancy agreement is also deemed to be the start of a new tenancy agreement.

The tenant of a domestic dwelling, in accordance with the Fire and Emergency Services Act, Section 104RD, subsection (2), must test and clean each smoke alarm in the dwelling at least once every 12 months during their tenancy.

“Test” is defined in the legislation as: by pressing the 'test' button or as stated in the manufacturer's instructions.

“Clean” is defined in the legislation as: "in the way stated in the manufacturer's instructions", which is normally vacuuming.

Remember, this must be done at least every 12 months during a tenancy and within 30 days before the commencement of every new tenancy.

Enrol in Detector Inspector’s set-and-forget smoke alarm Safety & Compliance service and ensure that the properties on your rent roll stay compliant with legislation requirements.

To enrol your property get in touch with us via 1300 134 563 or visit our contact us page.

To learn more about the Detector Inspector differences click here.

All smoke alarms that are required to be installed or replaced by the legislation must be a photoelectric type smoke alarm that complies with Australian Standard 3786–2014.

240-volt smoke alarms connect to the electricity supply and must be connected by a licenced electrician.

All other smoke alarms required under changing legislation can be installed by our highly-trained smoke alarm technicians.

All our smoke alarm technicians have partaken and completed comprehensive smoke alarm service training and have satisfactorily passed onsite and offsite training. This includes practical training in the field, practical training at our training facility and theoretical training in the office.

Australian Standard 3786–2014 requires the smoke alarm to have on the body of the smoke alarm the words "AS3786–2014".

These words may not appear on the packaging. Check if the packaging has the Australian Standard symbols on it and if in doubt ask the person selling the product if the smoke alarm complies with the 2014 standard.

Yes. The regulatory authority of the domestic smoke alarm legislation in Queensland is the Fire and Emergency Services (QFES), under the Fire and Emergency Services Act 1990 and the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008. The only delegated authority to administer this legislation is an "authorised officer" of the QFES.  QFES is currently the only entity that has the statutory powers to initiate enforcement action under the Fire and Emergency Services Act 1990 and no other individual or entity have these statutory powers.

However, the domestic smoke alarm legislation was introduced to provide early occupant warning to all occupants of a dwelling in the event of a fire. This early warning combined with a practised fire escape plan ensures all occupants can safely exit the dwelling to a place of safety. Regardless of the fear of enforcement, it’s most important that landlords and property managers are educated about the new legislative standards to ensure the safety of occupants and reduce the risk of injuries and fatalities.

The new legislation mandates the installation of photoelectric type smoke alarms (instead of ionisation type) for safety reasons.

Ionisation smoke alarms may not operate in time to alert the occupants early enough to escape a smouldering fire. Smouldering fires are the major cause of fatalities in house fires.

Avoid unscrupulous traders. Unscrupulous traders might try to take advantage of the new requirements for smoke alarms. They might:

• try to sell you non-compliant smoke alarms
• give you improper placement instructions
• recommend incorrect smoke alarm types (ionisation)
• say incorrect things about the law to get you to buy more expensive smoke alarms or tell you the law says you have to have more smoke alarms installed than you really need and other corner-cutting to save on costs – in turn this will result in owners paying more than initially required.

It is illegal for a business or trader to sell you something that is false or misleading.

There are extra rules for door-to-door and telephone sales. Find out more about buying smoke alarms by visiting the Consumer rights, complaints and scams website.

Founded in 2005, Detector Inspector is Australia’s largest and most trusted suppliers for smoke alarms, gas appliances, electrical services, essential services and more. Our technology cuts your admin, helps protect you and your clients ensuring compliance, and frees you up to focus on property management.

Firstly, check that there is no chance of a smouldering fire.

There are a number of reasons for false activations originating from battery operated alarms such as maintenance i.e. dirt trapped in the alarm, age of the device or a faulty device.

Hardwired smoke alarms refer to devices which are connected to the household 240-volt supply.

If hardwired interconnected photelectric smoke alarms are activating and there is no identifiable cause for the activation (e.g. fire or dust), the issue could be related to either the power supply or incorrect installation.

In some regional or remote areas in Queensland, fluctuations in the power supply travelling to your house or from electrical/electronic equipment in your home may cause false activations of hardwired smoke alarms. This is also known as ‘dirty power’ and solar energy may also cause these fluctuations in power supply. To overcome this problem, a filter can be installed on the switchboard to reduce the impact of these fluctuations in power supply.

Incorrect installation of smoke alarms can also cause false activations of hardwired interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms. Manufacturers have specific instructions which must be followed when installing interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms. Smoke alarms should not be connected to lighting circuits with dimmers as this will cause false activations.

To reduce the instance of false activations, homeowners should discuss the installation of hardwired (240-volt) smoke alarms with a licensed electrician who can provide advice and solutions.