Smoke alarms have a lifespan of just 10 years. Do you know when the smoke alarms in your complex expire? What are the consequences of not replacing expired smoke alarms? As part of our series on smoke alarm compliance for property managers, we will answer these questions.
Some smoke alarms do not have an obvious “expiry date”. For example, the smoke alarm (on the left) has a manufacture date of 30th March 2017, hence the replacement of the alarm needs to occur on or before 30th of March 2027.
Other alarms are much clearer and state “Replace by X date” or similar. Please note that alarms should be replaced before they expire. If a smoke alarm is expiring in March 2027, they should be replaced at least 6 months before expiry to ensure no alarms actually expire.
The current penalty in QLD for properties having expired or faulty smoke alarms is 5 penalty units or $630.75.
If there is a fire and / or loss of life due to a fire, and the smoke alarms within a property are faulty or expired, the owner’s landlord insurance may become invalid. This could incur a massive liability to both the property manager (for not fulfilling their duty of care – https://www.rta.qld.gov.au/Renting/During-a-tenancy/Maintenance-and- repairs/Smoke-alarms.aspx ) and the owner!
Please ensure the compliance of properties in your complex. If they need to be checked, please contact Hotspots Australia on 1300 373 668 or email onsitemanager@hotspotsalarms.com.au