There’s a lot of boxes to tick when renting out a property, and even more when selling. Extra rules for Queensland properties sold after 31 December 2021 place new demands on owners and managers. We are here to help.
What are the rules for properties being RENTED?
Here’s a quick refresher on the compliance rules for properties being leased or re-leased in QLD effective from 1 January 2022:
- All smoke alarms must be either hardwired 240-volt photoelectric alarms or powered by 10-year lithium batteries
- Alarms must be installed in every bedroom, in all hallways or areas connecting bedrooms to the rest of the dwelling, and there must be at least one on each storey in the most likely path of exit
- All smoke alarms must be interconnected with each other.
Those are the basics, but the legislation contains more details about standards and placement. Read our summary here.
What’s new for properties being SOLD?
From 31 December 2021, sellers who are putting their property up for sale, need to make sure that the smoke alarms have been upgraded in line with the Fire and Emergency Services Act 1990.
Smoke alarms must be installed according to the same guidelines set out for rental properties – hardwired into the mains power supply or fitted with 10-year batteries, interconnected with each other and installed in specific locations, as well as meeting other detailed specifications.
Compliant smoke alarms must be in place before the seller enters into a sale agreement and be able to provide proof of upgrade status at settlement.
Along with the usual terms like satisfactory building and pest inspections, smoke alarm compliance is set to become a normal expectation in residential sales, and failure to comply could compromise a contract.
Properties can’t be rented or sold from 1 January 2022 if they’re non-compliant. Owners and managers will be left legally exposed if there’s an incident at a property where the smoke alarms don’t meet standards.
What are your responsibilities?
If you’re a property owner who is planning to sell soon, you need to ensure the smoke alarms will be compliant with the new legislation. In addition, you should be armed with a certificate of compliance to assure the buyer that the smoke alarms are recently serviced and properly installed in accordance with the rules.
Sales agents have a responsibility to make their clients aware of the changes, assist them to make properties compliant and produce documentation to demonstrate it.
Choose one of Australia’s leading providers
As one of the longest-established compliance companies in Australia we’ve been working with the requirementrs of the legislation changes since since it was first introduced
We offer a per alarm pricing structure, backed by a 3-year product warranty and 10-year service warranty. In additionawe offer AS 3786:2014 interconnected alarms in 10-year lithium and hardwired variants at a competitive price.
Plus, everything is digitally recorded and stored in our industry-leading automated system. This means detailed record keeping to show you’ve done everything right, with zero admin input from you.
Please note we only service South East Queensland.
Hassle-free smoke alarm warranty replacement
Since the mandatory requirements came into effect in Jan 2022, our customers told us that one of the most time-consuming and frustrating things is having to arrange replacement of faulty interconnected smoke alarms under warranty with outside suppliers.
We listened to them and introduced a streamlined solution.
Now, as a Detector Inspector subscription customer, we are completing product warranty replacement of non-Detector Inspector smoke alarms with no call-out fees and no charge for replacement alarms, provided the faulty alarm is in the manufacturer's product warranty period and the owner’s subscription is current.
If the manufacturer's warranty period has expired, we will provide a quotation for the replacement of expired smoke alarms or alarms that become faulty.
Get sorted today
If you’re a seller, book your upgrade with us and benefit from our per alarm pricing structure, including delivery and installation.
Detector Inspector is here to make smoke alarm compliance one less thing you have to worry about. Our comprehensive solution will take care of everything.
