Just Over 100 Working Days Until New QLD Legislation is in Force

Published July 2021

The new Queensland smoke alarm legislation is on our doorstep and Smoke Alarm Solutions is imploring property managers to act now and comply their rent rolls.

As the new legislation has been on the horizon for over five years, property managers and landlords should be aware of the new requirements. As legislation will be mandated from 1 January 2022, agents who have not started upgrading their rent rolls will soon have to face the consequences of not being able to legally rent out their non-compliant properties on the first lease renewal next year.

REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella says property managers should ensure their rent rolls are compliant as early as possible.

“Ensuring your landlords meet their smoke alarm compliance requirements before the deadline is essential,” Mercorella says.

“Not only is it a legal requirement but, more importantly, this legislation is about tenant safety and saving lives. Interconnected smoke alarms give tenants the best possible chance in escaping a deadly house fire.”

Smoke Alarm Solutions services one third of all residential rental properties in Queensland, which is more Queensland rental properties than any other smoke alarm provider.

Their data suggests concerning statistics and trends. Since the legislation was announced in 2016, uptake from some geographical areas has been extremely slow. The data indicates that most regions of Queensland have less than 35 per cent of their properties compliant to new legislation. With just over 100 working days until 1 January 2022, Smoke Alarm Solutions is gravely concerned for those agencies who are yet to put a plan in place to ensure they meet compliance.

As property managers know, January is the busiest time of the year for lease renewals. This means there will be extra demand placed on smoke alarm suppliers in January next year as property managers and landlords scramble to meet new requirements. To combat this likely last-minute rush, Smoke Alarm Solutions is urging property managers to book their smoke alarm upgrades now.

The average industry wait time for a 2022 upgrade is four to six weeks with some smoke alarm providers turning landlords away as they are at capacity. Smoke Alarm Solutions has increased its workforce to ensure they are able to upgrade as many properties as possible before 2021 comes to an end.

To help encourage early compliance, Smoke Alarm Solutions is currently giving a free Emerald Alarms Controller with every Queensland 2022 property upgrade requested from 6 July to 31 August 2021. The Controller allows tenants to effortlessly test, silence and locate triggered Emerald smoke alarms without needing to reach alarms on high ceilings.