Rental Property Smoke Alarm Testing Compliance Check in VIC

ArnoldSchwarzenegger on 19/04/2023 - 22:56
Last edited 19/04/2023 - 22:57

Hi all,

I am looking at organising the safety compliance checks for electrical, gas and smoke alarms at my rental property. I have no issues with paying for the electrical and gas checks but most companies I have looked at charge about $99 to test the smoke alarms annually and then replace the batteries or smoke alarms if required. In my view, smoke alarms rarely fail, the ones in my house have lasted 10 years and I have only had to change the batteries about three or four times and they have never needed to be replaced. It seems ridiculous to me that I have to pay $99 for an electrician to go and press a button on a smoke alarm for 30 seconds to make sure it works. Has anyone tried any of the following:

  1. Ask their tenant to simply test the smoke alarms themselves.
  2. Ask the real estate agent to test the smoke alarm when they are there for the annual house inspection.
  3. As a landlord, gone and personally tested the smoke alarm themselves.

Does anyone know if doing any of the above would have any insurance implications, like they won't pay out if there was a fire and you can't provide evidence of an electrician having tested the smoke alarms annually?

The consumer affairs victoria website states the following:

https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/housing/renting/repairs-alte….

"The rental provider must ensure smoke alarms:

  • are correctly installed and in working order
  • are tested according to the manufacturer’s instructions at least once every 12 months
  • have their batteries replaced as required
  • are repaired or replaced as an urgent repair."

"Broken smoke alarms are urgent repairs

A rental provider or rooming house operator must immediately arrange for a smoke alarm to be repaired or replaced as an urgent repair if they are notified that it is not in working order. This should be done by a suitably qualified person. This doesn’t always mean someone with qualifications.

For example, you do not need special training to change a battery on a smoke alarm. A hard-wired smoke alarm must be installed by a qualified electrician.

If a rental provider or rooming house operator cannot be contacted or does not immediately fix the smoke alarm, the renter or resident can authorise and pay for an urgent repair of up to $2,500. The rental provider must pay them back within seven days."

Based on the above from the consumer affairs website, I don't think someone needs special training to test a smoke alarm so I wouldn't think this is a something that would need a certificate to show that it is being done.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Home & Garden Smoke Alarm

Comments

  • dcep on 19/04/2023 - 23:02
    +1

    Cheaper to just replace the battery every year and test it while you were there.

    If you are renting a house or unit, it is the landlord's responsibility to ensure smoke alarms are installed and kept in working condition.
    Regardless of whether you are renting or living in a home that you own, you should:
    - check the smoke alarm is working every month by pressing the test button until the alarm sounds
    - replace 9-volt smoke alarm batteries on an annual basis (or if the battery is lithium, replace the smoke alarm unit every ten years).
    - replace the smoke alarm in accordance with manufacturer's specifications – generally after ten years. New units have an expiry date located under the battery.
    - replace the battery if your smoke alarm emits a warning sound (a high-pitched single beep every 30 seconds)
    - clean your alarm regularly with a vacuum cleaner to remove particles that will affect smoke alarm performance
    - familiarise yourself with the manufacturer's maintenance guidelines.
    https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/consumers/guides/smoke-alarms
    Homes constructed after 1st August 1997 must have smoke alarms connected to 240V mains power and have a backup battery. Homes constructed before 1st August 1997 may have smoke alarms powered by a battery.
    CFA and FRV recommend the use of smoke alarms powered by a ten-year lithium battery that last the life of the smoke alarm unit.
    Smoke alarms should also be interconnected, so that when any alarm activates, all smoke alarms will sound.
    Interconnected smoke alarms can be:
    - hard-wired (which should be installed by an electrician), or
    - wireless interconnected smoke alarms powered by a ten-year lithium battery (which can be easily installed without requiring an electrician).

  • freefall101 on 19/04/2023 - 23:18
    +2

    It's $99 to avoid any issues with insurance. If you do it yourself and it turns out it doesn't meet the requirements it should have (location, battery, etc) then your insurance is on the line if it burns down.

    It pushes the risk onto a third party, not yourself. For $99 a year, it's on you how much that is worth it for a house worth hundreds of thousands.

    • Gunnar on 19/04/2023 - 23:53
      +1

      This! It’s a $99 tax deductible expense (or however much else is quoted by alternate providers).

      Yes, For the most part it’s more money than it’s worth and what you get for the money. When it will be easier for you is if (god forbid) something goes catastrophically wrong.

  • elgrande on 19/04/2023 - 23:36

    Your electrical safety check should include the smoke alarm check, mine did.

  • AustriaBargain on 20/04/2023 - 01:00
    -1

    Aren't you scared the landlord will retaliate by increasing your rent more than he otherwise would have?

  • apu on 20/04/2023 - 01:03

    Haha, you sound like a tightwad landlord like me. Number 1 and 2 won't fly. No way a RE Agent will want to be implicated in smoke alarm testing, nor will their insurance cover them.

    Number 3 sounds fine but you wear the risk if things go wrong. What does "tested to the manufacturers instructions" mean? A proper technician to test?

    For $99 perhaps just suck it up. It's tax deductible anyway.

  • ArnoldSchwarzenegger on 20/04/2023 - 08:56

    Thanks for the advice guys, yeah I guess I’ll just suck it up and begrudgingly pay the $99. I get the feeling a lot of electricians and plumbers were very happy when these new safety compliance checks were introduced.

    • ThithLord on 20/04/2023 - 13:36
      -1

      Aww diddums, will you be ok? Sucks having to ensure your investment isn't a hazard.

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