Owner Occupier FAQs

Below are the most common questions we receive from owner occupiers.

Select a category:

Billing Enrolment Process Owner Occupier Support Legislation
Service Offerings and Inclusions Smoke Alarms and Warranties Service Feedback Smoke Alarm Troubleshooting

Billing

For the majority of our clients, the billing cycle commences as soon as we attend your property under an annual service for the first time, and this is also when the yearly subscription renews. The annual renewal invoice will be due 12 months following our initial visit. 

Enrolment Process

To ensure a quick and hassle-free enrolment process for landlords, we offer the ability to enrol your property either via our online enrolment form or by calling 1300 852 301. Our online enrolment form is very user friendly and will provide an indicative quote for upgrading to the 2022 legislation for QLD rental properties and properties being sold. If you have a property in either VIC or SA, you can use this same online form. Make sure you click the customer type and state your property is located in, then complete the form from there.
Once you enrol a property online, you will receive an email confirmation from us shortly aftewards. Please make sure to check your junk mail folder as well. If you do not receive an email confirmation within an hour or so, please feel free to call our team on 1300 852 301.

You don’t need to log in to a PayPal account to pay. There is an option to pay via credit or debit card under the PayPal option.

Owner Occupier Support

We email a Compliance Report detailing all smoke alarms at the property, their expiry date, type and position approximately 24-48 hours after a smoke alarm inspection has been completed.
We understand compliance matters are of extreme importance to you and your clients and our service requires a great deal of trust. As we need to communicate directly with tenants to arrange access to carry out our smoke alarm service, keeping your clients’ information confidential is important to us, and we take our responsibility regarding the security of their personal information very seriously. Our full Privacy Policy can be found here.

We cannot provide an exact number without first attending your property, as it is dependent on the state your property is located plus the number and rooms and levels in your property. Please feel free to refer to your state requirements here.

If your property is located in Queensland and you need to arrange an upgrade of the smoke alarms to the new requirements, you can use the handy quoting tool here - Make sure to click Queensland, Landlord/Agent then Upgrade to 2022.

A second smoke alarm installed right next to an existing alarm is usually installed as a temporary alarm. If one of our technicians finds a hardwired alarm that needs to be replaced they will install a temporary 9-volt alarm covering the hardwired alarm to ensure a level of safety whilst we arrange for an electrician to attend.

Wall mounted alarms are perfectly acceptable in both the Building Code of Australia and smoke alarm legislation. They are however not the preferred installation method but can be utilised if there are ceiling access issues as found with cement ceilings or in the presence of a material that likely contains asbestos.

Legislation

No, but as a landlord you have a responsibility to ensure the smoke alarms installed in the property are compliant. Each state of Australia has different requirements however the requirements are complex and intricate, and differ from state to state. As a minimum, expiry dates and battery levels need to be checked and the correct style of smoke alarms need to be replaced or installed if missing, damaged, faulty or expired. Locations, Australian Standards and audible output also need to be correct in order for alarms to meet current requirements. Smoke alarm compliance involves a complex set of requirements, which is why many landlords opt for a professional company to carry out this work.

New Queensland smoke alarm legislation came into effect from January 1, 2017 following a coronial inquest into the fatal 2011 Slacks Creek house fire.

From January 1, 2017, all new builds must meet the requirements.
From January 1, 2022, all dwellings sold or leased and Government-owned housing must comply.
By January 1, 2027, all domestic dwellings must comply, which includes homeowners.

You can find additional information about the Queensland legislation here.

Unfortunately, our services do not cover commercial buildings or ‘1b dwellings’. We provide smoke alarm compliance and maintenance services for Class 1a or Class 2 (sole occupancy) residential properties only. If you own or manage a commercial property, we recommend you speak to QFES or a commercial smoke alarm provider.

Service Offerings and Inclusions

Yes, we offer once off services when required although we do recommend an annual subscription to ensure continuity of service from year to year. To request this inspection option, please fill out the property enrolment form following and select from the “once off” service options.

If you would like us to comply the smoke alarms in your property with the current Victorian or South Australian smoke alarm legislation, you can do so for a cost of $119 per annum. All required for compliance installations and replacements are included to ensure your property complies. You can enrol your property directly here or request enrolment via your Property Manager.

We use a combination of electricians and technicians depending on the location of your property as well as the alarm type required to be installed or replaced. Electricians are required for installing hardwired alarms and all of our technicians are comprehensively trained to install the wireless interconnected alarms.

When you enrol your property in service aimed to ensure your property meets 2022 or 2027 Queensland legislation, we may provide a quote based on the number of bedrooms and levels in the property. This is an indication only and it is based on a typical property layout. If on our attendance we note another alarm is required for compliance, you will receive this invoice following our attendance. By using our service, you are agreeing to this condition.

Smoke Alarms and Warranties

At Smoke Alarm Solutions, we only install high quality products. As we carry out maintenance of the alarms we install, we don’t compromise on quality, and we are constantly working closely with our provider to ensure our alarms continue to meet the highest standards in Australia. 

Photoelectric alarms are recommended by all fire authorities in Australia and they are most effective in real fire situations. Instead of sounding when toast is burnt or steam from a shower is present, photoelectric smoke alarms detect slow smouldering fires. Photoelectric smoke alarms are therefore less likely to be removed due to false sounding.
We're able to interconnect our alarms over multiple levels by radio frequency identification (RFID) technology where wiring is not a suitable option. The RFID module is already contained in the base of these smoke alarm models.
Working on/with asbestos isn’t illegal as the installation of smoke alarms on asbestos is only classed as asbestos-related work and does not require a license. There are however strict guidelines on the handling and disposal of all contaminated material after installation as well as health risks associated with both our installers and the occupants of the dwelling. With this in mind, Smoke Alarm Solutions has adopted a best practice approach and have eliminated the hazard altogether by not disturbing asbestos. Safe Work Queensland backs this approach as elimination is better than any control measures that could be implemented. The legislation also backs this approach in the sense that it allows for battery operated smoke alarms to be installed as opposed to hard wired. Health and Safety always takes precedence over everything else in the workplace and we take that very seriously.
 
However, there are ways to avoid installing smoke alarms on asbestos-containing material and still comply to the new legislation. For example, here at Smoke Alarm Solutions, where likely asbestos containing material is present, our technicians will install smoke alarms:
- on timber strips or any other material on the ceiling that is not asbestos, where present.
- using double-sided tape, where alarms cannot be screwed into the ceiling.
- on to the wall, where the ceiling has sprayed on plaster which contains asbestos fibers.
We no longer use smoke-in-a-can or compressed air when cleaning a smoke alarm as it is not recommended by the manufacturer’s instructions. Our approach is to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for maintenance.

Smoke Alarm Solutions offers a 12 month service warranty on all smoke alarms they install as set out in our Standard Operating Procedures

In addition, we offer extended warranty options on selected smoke alarms installed in Queensland properties that have been upgraded to meet the 2022 or 2027 legislation requirements.

For more information, please call us on 1300 852 301.

Service Feedback

At Smoke Alarm Solutions, we strive to provide excellent service with every encounter, as demonstrated by our excellent Google Reviews rating. If our service doesn’t meet your expectation or if you would like to commend a member of the team who has gone over and above, we would love to hear from you. Please send through the property address we inspected, along with your contact details and a brief summary of the scenario to [email protected].

Smoke Alarm Troubleshooting

Sometimes it can take a while for the alarm to reset itself after the hush button has been pressed, which can cause your alarm to sound. If you are still having issues with your alarm, please contact your real estate agency and inform them of this issue and they will arrange for Smoke Alarm Solutions to either troubleshoot the problem or reattend the property. Similarly, you can call our 24/7 Emergency Service on 1300 852 301 and one of our friendly team will assist you.

The first step is always to check and ensure there is no danger present before hushing a sounding smoke alarm.

Do not remove the battery as the smoke alarms will no longer be fully functional and provide protection against the dangers of a house fire. We instead recommend you ‘hush’ the smoke alarm as this resets the alarm and leaves it functional.

Hushing a sounding smoke alarm can be dependant on the brand. Generally, a smoke alarm can be silenced by locating the hush button and pressing it. This will trigger a reset of the alarm which may take a few minutes. During this time, you may hear occasional beeps before it falls silent.

If pressing the hush button does not work, please contact our 24/7 Emergency Service on 1300 852 301.

WARNING: If you damage or activate the end of life function, you will be charged for the alarm replacement. Alarm costs start from $124 per alarm.

A smoke alarm with a flat battery will make a short and sharp chirping sound constantly. The alarm will chirp approximately every 30 to 60 seconds for a minimum of seven days.

Our 24/7 emergency service number is 1300 852 301 and is available for those covered by our Gold, Platinum and Ultimate smoke alarm subscription packages. For further information about the service and eligibility, please click here.

A second smoke alarm installed right next to an existing alarm is usually installed as a temporary alarm. If one of our technicians finds a hardwired alarm that needs to be replaced they will install a temporary 9-volt alarm covering the hardwired alarm to ensure a level of safety whilst we arrange for an electrician to attend.

Wall mounted alarms are perfectly acceptable in both the Building Code of Australia and smoke alarm legislation. They are however not the preferred installation method but can be utilised if there are ceiling access issues as found with cement ceilings or in the presence of a material that likely contains asbestos.
Access to your property is required at least once per year. You will receive a standard entry notice/notice to enter in the post from Smoke Alarm Solutions. This will outline the date, time range and the technician/electrician who will be inspecting the property. We will also make contact with you via SMS to advise of the upcoming smoke alarm inspection.  You may instead recieve an email along with a notice of our entry rather than in the post. 
 
Should you wish to be at the property when they attend, simply call Smoke Alarm Solutions when you receive the entry notice/notice to enter or text message to specify an alternate date or time range between 8.30am and 5pm (Monday to Friday). If you do not respond to our letter or text message your agent will supply keys for the technician to access the property to ensure your home remains a safe environment for you and other occupants of the property.