2022 Queensland Smoke Alarm Legislation
What are my new obligations as a landlord?
All domestic dwellings that are leased or sold in Queensland must contain smoke alarms that are:
- Photoelectric (not ionised)
- Australian Standard (AS 3786-2014)
- Less than 10 years old
- Working when tested
- Interconnected with every other smoke alarm in the dwelling
- Hard-wired or wireless with a non-removable 10-year lithium battery
Where will my smoke alarms need to be installed?
Smoke alarms must be installed on every level of a property, in every bedroom and in hallways that connect bedrooms with the rest of the dwelling.
If a garage, office space, family room or rumpus room is used as a bedroom, it may also be required to have a compliant smoke alarm fitted.
When do I need to get my property upgraded?
The time to get your rental property compliant with this new legislation is NOW!
The government has provided an ample notice period of five years for landlords to upgrade their property to comply with these changes.
The Smoke Alarm Association Australia is advising all rental property owners to perform the upgrade as soon as possible. There will be a shortage of qualified and reliable tradesmen to perform smoke alarm installations in the coming years. This will likely lead to an increase in prices charged by electricians and smoke alarm companies (not a decrease!).
Fines will be issued to any Queensland property owner who fails to comply with legislation by allowing a tenant to sign a lease on a property that does not have the correct number and type of smoke alarms installed.
How much will it cost?
BE LEGAL will install the correct number and type of smoke alarms at $139 inc gst per alarm to ensure your property complies with the new legislation. This pricing is for a limited time only!
What should I do now?
Next time your rental property is attended for a smoke alarm service, the number of alarms required for this new legislation will be recorded and a quote to upgrade will be sent to the property manager.
Simply reply to that quote with your approval and BE LEGAL will organise the rest! Your property manager will be forwarded a compliance report and photos upon completion.
Any property owners that are unable to pay the invoice immediately, may arrange with their property manager to pay the invoice over three months (no additional fees will be charged).
What if I have received a cheaper quote?
Other smoke alarm companies and electricians have a variety of tactics to entice you with their offer:
- These companies may use low quality alarms which lead to oversensitivity, false alarms or frequent beeping issues. BE LEGAL use Clipsal & RED smoke alarms only, these are leading brands known for quality and reliability. Any faulty alarms will be replaced free of charge for the next five years from date of installation.
- Some companies may use hard-wired smoke alarms that still have a removable battery. Re-chargeable batteries are the way of the future and ensure smoke alarms will still work if there is no electrical power supply. All alarms fitted by BE LEGAL (hard-wired or wireless) have a 10YR lithium built in battery. Hard-wired alarms with a built-in battery are a premium product – BE LEGAL quotes for this type of alarm only. No more worries of the tenant removing batteries, leaving the property unprotected if there is no power supply.
- Other companies or electricians may have different prices for each type of alarm, but only quote a price for the hard-wired alarms on flyers and advertising campaigns. These quotes can be very misleading if the property requires a combination of hard-wired and wireless alarms due to the property layout. Wireless alarms are considerably more expensive than hard-wired alarms. BE LEGAL has the same price per alarm (regardless of what the property needs to make it compliant), this ensures accurate quotes are provided to the property owner.
- Electricians may quote pricing exclusive of GST. This makes comparing prices between companies more confusing. BE LEGAL has no hidden costs – our advertised pricing is always fully inclusive of GST
- BE LEGAL is a reputable company, operating in the Gold Coast & Logan area for over 10 years. Be aware of new smoke alarm companies that are popping up with no prior history in the industry. We ensure we are leading the way for extremely competitive pricing on hard-wired and wireless 2022 compliant smoke alarms and for annual smoke alarm servicing.
