January 1, 2022, marked the deadline for a raft of changes to Queensland smoke alarm legislation. Following this date, any properties sold, rented, or re-leased has new compliance requirements under the Fire and Emergency Services Act 1990.
What has changed
Below is a quick summary of the new rules that came into effect.
For dwellings being leased, re-leased or sold in QLD (and from 1 January 2027 for all other dwellings):
- 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.
Properties may not be re-leased, 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.
Here is what has happened since
Detector Inspector’s data shows that the Queensland market has done an excellent job at bringing properties’ smoke alarms up to date and compliant with the new regulations. Our data of nearly 30,000 properties shows over 90% of properties are currently fully compliant.
However, despite Queensland property managers’ best efforts, our data reveals that 6% of properties' smoke alarms are yet to be upgraded to meet the requirements of the Fire and Emergency Services Act 1990.
These properties are not up to standard and are not legally available to be re-leased, rented or sold.
What we have seen from other providers
With a rush to upgrade smoke alarms last year in time for the January 1, 2022, deadline, some landlords chose service providers that promised to upgrade in the most cost and time-effective ways possible.
As we have come into properties where other providers have made upgrades, we are unfortunately seeing poor workmanship and cost-cutting measures including:
- Offices and multipurpose rooms not being fitted with smoke alarms. This is problematic as new tenants come into properties and convert these rooms into bedrooms unaware that the property is now non-compliant.
- Cathedral ceilings with alarms installed at the low end of the ceiling in dead air space. You can learn more about why dead air space is a no-go for smoke alarm installation here.
- Detachable alarms without wireless modules. Alarms need to be interconnected, either wirelessly or through a hardwire. An alarm that isn’t interconnected is considered non-compliant and risks the safety of tenants.
These cases of non-compliant upgrades can have costly and potentially dangerous consequences. They leave tenants living in unsafe homes and landlords and agents legally exposed if there’s an incident.
The requirements widen again on 1 January 2027, when every remaining Queensland home must comply. Our Queensland 2027 smoke alarm guide sets out what is needed and what it costs, or you can book a 2027 upgrade directly.
Choose one of Australia’s leading providers
If you are an owner or property manager, looking to switch from your current service provider, get in touch via the form below.
If you are a seller, requiring upgrade compliance certification prior to selling, enquire today and benefit from our per alarm pricing structure, including delivery and installation. Backed by a 3-year product warranty and 10-year service warranty, we offer AS 3786:2014 interconnected smoke alarms in 10-year lithium and hardwired variants at a competitive price.
Our industry-leading smoke alarm warranty support for non-Detector Inspector branded alarms and over 17 years of expertise in smoke alarm compliance across Australia makes Detector Inspector a safety and compliance partner of choice.
