Victorian rental providers are obligated to arrange a gas and electrical safety check every two years.
What is a Gas and Electricity Safety Check?
Under Victorian legislation, rental providers – property managers, and owners – are responsible to ensure gas appliances and electrical installations, fittings, and appliances are in safe working order. This is referred to as a gas or electrical safety check and, legally must be carried out every two years. You can read more about the legislation here.
Rental providers need to understand their obligations and have an effective service supplier in place to manage their risk and ensure compliance.
What gets checked?
Licenced Electricians and Gas Plumbers are required to carry out gas and electrical safety inspections. Upon completion, they should provide a compliance report to your agency.
The electrical service includes:
The gas service includes:
We make it quick and easy to manage the process for you
Smoke Alarms Australia has a dedicated team of qualified electricians and gas plumbers to manage the process from start to finish for you. Our end-to-end subscription service means no surprises, with services billed separately. Plus, our industry leading Victorian customer portal allows the Agency to see the whole portfolio in a single view, with an easy option to order the extra services.
Switching to Smoke Alarms Australia is easy with the assistance of your dedicated Business Relationship Manager (BRM) who will help manage the process so you can get on with your property management.
Smoke alarms play a pivotal role in safeguarding lives and properties from the devastating effects of fires. However, simply installing smoke alarms is not enough; they must undergo regular smoke alarm tests to ensure they function reliably in the event of a fire.
A smoke alarm test serves as a critical assessment of a smoke alarm’s functionality and reliability during a fire event. It’s no use putting up smoke alarms and forgetting about them. They need to remain in good working order with annual inspections and testing, and an additional test conducted at the change of tenancy, regardless of whether a year has passed since the last test.
At Smoke Alarms Australia, our technicians perform thorough smoke alarm tests during every service visit. This assessment goes beyond a simple push button test. Here’s what our team will check for:
A smoke alarm technician performing a smoke alarm test in the kitchen of a residential home. The technician is holding the smoke alarm, checking the battery, and there is an artificial smoke simulator nearby.
In a rental property, it is the responsibility of the landlord to ensure that smoke alarms are properly fitted in homes and that they meet the compliance standards of the Building Code of Australia and the Residential Tenancies Act in their respective states.
Smoke alarm legislation differs from state to state. Compliance can be complicated, but we make it easy. Read more on our Resources page
Smoke Alarms Australia offer a set-and-forget annual subscription service, taking care of all aspects of smoke alarm safety and compliance. We will inspect, test, and maintain smoke alarms and provide reports to your property manager or agent.
Contact us to learn more about our services and how we can help keep your landlords compliant and tenants safe.
CHOOSE KNOWLEDGE | CHOOSE EXPERIENCE | CHOOSE SMOKE ALARMS AUSTRALIA
As a property manager, you know that keeping your tenants safe is of utmost importance. And when it comes to smoke alarm compliance, only the best will do. That's where Smoke Alarms Australia comes in.
Since 2005, Smoke Alarms Australia has been the national leader in smoke alarm compliance. We have completed over 2 million services across Australia, making us the trusted professionals in the industry. Compliance can be complicated, but with Smoke Alarms Australia, it's easy. We stay on top of all legislative changes, so you don't have to. We believe that safety should be a top priority. That's why we only use the highest quality smoke alarms and make sure they are properly placed in your properties. Our team of qualified professionals ensures that your properties meet compliance with the Building Code of Australia and the Residential Tenancies Act in your state.
But we don't stop there. Our industry-leading technology sets us apart. Our agent app, tenant app, and integrated systems work seamlessly with Property Tree, Property Me, and Palace through secure API hooks. This saves you time and effort when managing information, giving you peace of mind knowing that everything is in compliance.
We understand that your time is valuable. That's why we offer an automatic annual subscription service for the landlord, so you never have to worry about keeping up with smoke alarm compliance again. With Smoke Alarms Australia, you can trust that your properties are compliant and safe, and your landlords and tenants can rest easy knowing they are protected.
At Smoke Alarms Australia, we know that only the best will do when it comes to keeping your tenants safe. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality service, using the best technology, and always staying up to date with compliance requirements. Trust us to get your properties compliant and keep them that way. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you keep your tenants safe.
It's that time of year: as the temperature drops, the risk of house fires increases. Tenants are more likely to be at home, and greater use of heaters, electric blankets and dryers means greater risks to properties and people.
Smoke alarms play a crucial role in fire safety. The likelihood of a tenant surviving a housefire doubles when the property has working smoke alarms.
Did you know?
More than 50 percent of the properties we service for the first time do not meet smoke alarm compliance requirements.
Some common reasons for a property being deemed non-compliant include:
The kitchen is a key danger zone
Various fire services across Australia report that 40 percent of house fires are caused by occupants leaving cooking unattended. In a busy household, it’s easy to get distracted and a simple phone call can be all it takes to forget what is on the stove. A smoke alarm is never distracted.
The risk increases after lights out
Although fires can happen at any time, the greatest risk to life is overnight while we are asleep. This is because while we sleep, our sense of smell is dormant, so we are unlikely to smell the smoke until it’s too late. For this reason, a working smoke alarm is crucial to provide occupants with as much notice as possible to escape. In rental properties Australia-wide, it’s not only a safety requirement but also a legal requirement of landlords.
How property managers can help their landlords fulfil their obligations
Landlords with rental properties have greater responsibility to ensure their property has working smoke alarms. Legislation under the Rental Tenancies Act and / or requirements under the Building Code of Australia have been put in place to help prevent tragic outcomes in the event of a fire. Additionally, in some states, fines also apply for landlords where a property is non-compliant.
Landlords and property managers can rest easy knowing they meet their duty of care and are managing risk when they sign on to Smoke Alarms Australia’s annual subscription program. Once you have signed up, we manage the rest! It’s set and forget. Peace of mind for less than the price of a cup of coffee a fortnight.
Holidays are meant for relaxation and unwinding, but owners of short-term rentals need to be especially vigilant to ensure their properties are safe and compliant for each visitor.
From November 2021, all short-term stay rental properties must conform to new policies introduced via amendments to State Environmental Planning Policy (Affordable Rental Housing) 2009 and the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 (EP&A Regulation). This means any short-term stay property may need an upgrade to smoke and heat alarms.
In short:
SAA's auto-renewing annual program makes it simple and easy for landlords when it comes to compliance in their short-term stay rental. You benefit through:
If you would like to know more about this service, contact us and your Business Development Manager will be in touch.
As millions of people work and school their kids from home, we hear that home is the safest place to be – but the fire risk may be higher than usual, especially leading into winter. The most important thing you can do as a property manager ensures every home on your roll is adequately protected with compliant, working smoke alarms.
Troy Thompson, Managing Director at Smoke Alarms Australia, the industry leader in smoke alarm services, says during winter, the risks for house fires are more significant with more people using heaters and appliances, cooking, and possibly overloading power boards. People must be vigilant in having smoke alarms installed and that they are operational.
Property managers and landlords, of course, want to ensure that tenants are safe and they are meeting their duty of care. Being sure that homes have adequate, functioning smoke alarms is the essential thing agents can do to impact fire safety.
Research shows that an absence of working smoke alarms increases the risk of dying in a house fire by an incredible 80 percent. It's a terrifying statistic.
It's not enough to have alarms installed. They must work! Data for properties serviced by Smoke Alarms Australia show that more than 50% of homes are not compliant on the first service. Close to half of all home fires attended by fire services are at properties where the smoke alarm does not work.
Strict rules outline the responsibilities of landlords and agents. The simplest way to protect yourself, your landlords, and of course, your tenants is to engage a smoke alarm service provider who will manage the maintenance of alarms at all your properties.
If your agency already has a relationship with Smoke Alarms Australia, log into the portal for the latest updates on how we are progressing with your properties or our website for important notifications on how we've adapted our procedures to meet smoke alarm requirements while maintaining social distancing.
Suppose you are not currently working with us. In that case, our website has many useful information and tools, including our risk calculator, which will help you evaluate the risk in your portfolio for your uncovered properties.
New Legislation for smoke alarm compliance will come into effect on the 1st January 2022. Properties must be compliant from this date or after the first change of tenancy or lease renewal in 2022. Some properties may already be compliant with the new legislation and will not need an upgrade, however, most are not compliant.
The number of smoke alarms required in rental properties will depend on a variety of factors like the number of rooms, locations, storeys, or hallways.
All the smoke alarms installed in your rental properties must be photoelectric alarms, also known as optical or photo-optical, which will detect any type of smoke or combustible particle to detect all types of fires.
All of the alarms must be interconnected either through hard-wired or radiofrequency technology. This means that when one alarm sounds, all alarms will sound to alert residents of a fire anywhere in the dwelling. All alarms must have a battery backup to ensure alarms function, even in a blackout. Alarms must be less than 10 years old and cannot contain an ionization sensor.
Where are alarms required to be installed?
When must alarms be compliant?
2022 compliance can be confusing, but it doesn't have to be. Read more on our resources page or contact us for the information you need.
Smoke Alarms Australia has been working with Real Estate Agents across the country for over 16 years, helping to get Landlords compliant with relevant state smoke alarm legislation. Smoke alarms provide early warning and give the best opportunity to save lives, reducing the risk to the property and protecting investments. Making a property compliant should not be taken lightly.
Learn about Smoke Alarm Types
There are many types of smoke alarms, and essentially the terminology you need to know is photoelectric or ionisation, hard-wired, radiofrequency, or battery operated. Photoelectric alarms are recommended by most Fire Services as they are quicker to detect smoke and don't function using small amounts of radiation.
Hard-wired alarms are wired to the property's electrical system and have a battery backup in case there is a service outage. Radiofrequency alarms interconnect through a radio signal and have a 10-year lithium battery as backup. Battery-based alarms are used also.
How do Bugs and Dust affect your alarms?
Bugs and dust are a great concern for ongoing smoke alarm maintenance. Some alarms have a double bug screen, making the alarm more reliable, reducing opportunities for bugs to enter the smoke detection chamber. The double screen could also reduce the amount of servicing required and minimise the risk of false beeping alarms experienced by a tenant.
The correct servicing of smoke alarms is also important and contributes to the longevity of the alarm. A push-button test on the alarm only tests that the alarm has connected power. Testing with artificial smoke, cleaning the alarms, checking alarm positioning and expiry dates is an integral part of the testing process.