SMOKE ALARMS

Do smoke alarms expire?
Under Australian Standard AS3786 smoke alarms have a lifespan of 10 years. All smoke alarms, including 240v hard wired alarms must be replaced at the expiration of 10 years.

Is it necessary to install 240v hard wired smoke alarms?
For any property built after July 1997, or any property which has been significantly renovated, the smoke alarms must be 240v alarms. In all other cases, 9v or 10 year lithium smoke alarms are acceptable.

What is the best smoke alarm to install in a rental property?
If the property is built after July 1997 or has been substantially renovated, the alarm must be a 240v alarm. We strongly recommend a Photoelectric alarm rather than an Ionisation alarm. Our experience has shown that the 10 year lithium battery, Photoelectric smoke alarm is the most reliable, efficient alarm on the market. Whilst costing more than a standard 9v battery smoke alarm, we have found this alarm to have less false alarms and responds better to real smoke threats. And very importantly, the battery cannot be removed which can happen in the 9v alarms. In Far North Queensland, we have found that 9v smoke alarms are greatly affected by humidity and moisture and have a high failure rate. In these circumstances, the 10 year lithium alarm has proven to be far superior.

Where do smoke alarms have to be located?
This is set in the Building Code of Australia. The absolute minimum requirement is one per property. There must be at least one alarm on every level of the property, regardless of the layout of that level. The location of the bedrooms in the property then decide how many alarms are required. Alarms must be positioned between the bedroom exit points and the rest of the house.

SMOKE ALARM SERVICING

When do the smoke alarms in a rental property have to be inspected and checked?
Under the legislation, the smoke alarms must be inspected/checked within 30 days BEFORE any tenancy change or tenancy renewal. It is not 30 days before or after, it is before the tenancy change or renewal.

Are home owners required to service alarms in their own property?
No. The legislation for the servicing of smoke alarms is aimed at rental properties, not owner-occupied properties.

Can landlords undertake their own inspections and servicing of smoke alarms in their owned rental properties?
Yes they have this right. It is strongly recommended, however, that a specialist Smoke Alarm service provider be used. The complexities of positioning alarms to ensure the property complies with the Building Code of Australia and having the knowledge to ensure the smoke alarms are fully functional can be difficult for the average landlord. For instance, can the landlord check that the power supply is actually connected to the 240v alarm? Can the landlord check the decibel output of the alarm and that it is in the required range? Can the landlord check the manufacture and/or expiry date of the alarm? Can the landlord always ensure that the alarms are checked within 30 days before every tenancy change or renewal? There could be significant outcomes for the landlord if a fire should occur and the property is not compliant or the alarms have not been serviced in accordance with the legislation. Additionally, the landlords insurance on the property may be void if a failure to comply with all legislation is proven. It is far better risk management for a landlord to employ a specialist to ensure compliance and to protect their valuable asset and the lives of the occupants.

The legislation specifically PROHIBITS a landlord from transferring the servicing requirement to the tenant.

Why can't the servicing be done by my Property Manager?
Real Estate Agents and Property Managers have been warned by their Insurers that servicing smoke alarms is outside the scope and experience of a Property Manager, and should a problem occur, then their insurance may not cover them. For this reason, most Property Managers very wisely will not take on this responsibility.

ANNUAL MAINTENANCE SERVICE

What is the cost of servicing smoke alarms in a rental property?
We will ensure that your property complies with the regulations, and that your tenancy change/renewal responsibilities are fully met. For a set cost of $75.00 per year per property, we will attend the property to assess compliance and undertake the required maintenance in accordance with Australian Standard AS1851.15. We will re-attend the property during the year whenever there is a tenancy change or renewal, or a problem with a smoke alarm, at no additional cost, regardless of how many times in a year we are asked to attend the property. This one low cost is for any type of residential property, regardless of the type and number of smoke alarms in the property. We do not charge extra for replacing batteries.

To keep your costs to a minimum, we will relocate 9v smoke alarms if necessary to correct positions at no cost. Only if required and authorised by your or your Property Manager, we will install smoke alarms or replace faulty or expired alarms as required under the legislation at no cost.

Do you provide discounts for landlords with multiple properties?
Yes. If the landlord owns four or more properties that we are servicing, the Annual Cost reduces from $75.00 per annum per property to $ 65.00 per annum per property.

Is there an additional cost to attend lease renewal inspections or faulty alarm inspections?
No. Our one low fee of $75.00 per property includes all lease changes, renewals and faulty alarm attendances.

Do you provide a Compliance Report?
We provide a detailed Inspection and Compliance Report after every visit to the property. This is the landlords Risk Management document which proves that the property has met the requirements of all legislation regarding smoke alarms. In our comprehensive data base, we have a complete servicing history, including the type of every alarm, whether is it Ionisation or Photoelectric, its manufacture and/or expiry date, its exact position, its last service date, its next service date - plus much more, even down to information such as whether the tenant was home when we attended the property.

Do you offer a Once-Off Inspection service?
Yes. We provide the same thorough and professional service on a once-off basis for a low $39.00. The fully detailed Inspection and Compliance Report is included in this service.

What areas do you service and what is your capacity?
We service the entire east coast of Queensland. We have trained staff based in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Gladstone, Rockhampton and Bundaberg. Importantly, all our Technicians are direct employees - we do not use sub-contractors. All Technicians are comprehensively trained and have passed a thorough Smoke Alarm Technical Assessment.

As the largest smoke alarm Service Provider in Queensland, we service more than 900 properties a day and have the resources and capacity to provide an efficient, prompt service no matter how large the requirement.

Is there an additional cost to replace a smoke alarm or install a new alarm?
If the property is enrolled in our Annual Service Plan, replacement of any faulty or expired alarms are included in the service fee at no additional cost (refer to conditions on Home Page). The replacement of faulty or expired alarms are NOT included in the Once Off Inspection Service.

OPERATIONAL

Do you issue Entry Notices?
The most efficient method of undertaking inspections is to firstly issue an Entry Notice. As part of our service, and at no extra cost, we prepare and mail the Entry Notice to the tenant, saving you the time and hassle from having to do it. We email or fax you a copy of the Entry Notices for your records. The day before the work is to be performed, we forward you a Request for Keys List advising you of the keys we need to pick up the next day. This procedure is designed for efficiency and to make it as simple and easy as possible for you as Property Manager.

Are faulty smoke alarms removed from the property?
Any faulty smoke alarm is removed from the property. The only time a faulty smoke alarm is not removed is when its removal would leave significant and obvious paint damage (e.g. If the ceiling has been painted blue, but behind the smoke alarm it hasn't been painted and is white).

Are expired smoke alarms removed from the property?
If the expired smoke alarm is in a necessary location, it will be replaced, and therefore removed. If the alarm is in a non-essential location (e.g. lounge room), has expired, but is still in good working condition, we will leave the alarm in place.

What Insurance do you have?
In addition to a $10 million Public Liability Insurance cover, we have in place a $2 million Professional Indemnity Insurance cover. Professional Indemnity Insurance is vital, and you should never use a service provider who does not have this insurance. PI Insurance is necessary for any professional who provides advice. It is the same insurance cover your Real Estate Agency must have.

Ask yourself - what would happen if you as the Property Manager, or the person/company you appointed to service smoke alarms makes a mistake and there is a fire with major damage and/or loss of life? Quite possibly, you could be held responsible (and sued) for negligence, or you could be held responsible (and sued) because you failed to undertake effective due diligence on your choice of service provider.

If you don't ensure that your service provider has in place Professional Indemnity Insurance, you are literally playing with fire. YOU are running the risk that you and potentially your owners may be held responsible for the mistakes of others.

Our strongest advice is that if your current service provider does not have Professional Indemnity Insurance - stop using them immediately.

Will you attend our office to explain how you can help us and to fully explain your service?
We would be delighted to meet with you and your team to explain every facet of our service and how we can assist. If you are unsure of your responsibilities, we can clarify everything for you. All our Client Service Managers have extensive Property Management experience, and all have been Property Managers themselves.

We can provide you with electronic or hard-copy documents to make your task as simple as possible, including draft Letters to Landlords, Authorisation Forms, Fact Sheets for Landlords, Price Lists etc. Our whole service is designed to make it is a simple and time-saving for you, and anything we can do to assist in this regard, we will.