What a compliant rental needs
A compliant rental has photoelectric smoke alarms that meet Australian Standard 3786-2014, with no ionisation sensor. Each alarm must be less than 10 years old, must work when tested and must be interconnected with every other alarm, so they all sound together.
Each alarm is either hardwired to the mains or runs on a sealed battery that lasts at least 10 years. The alarms go in every bedroom, in the hallway outside the bedrooms, and on every storey. A hardwired alarm with a replaceable 9V backup battery is accepted by both the Residential Tenancies Authority and the Queensland Fire Department.
What landlords must do before every lease and renewal
The standard applies each time a new tenancy starts, and a renewal or an extension counts as a new tenancy. So the duties come around again at every lease, not just the first one.
In the 30 days before the tenancy starts, the landlord must test every alarm and clean it the way the manufacturer says to. In the same window, any battery that is flat or nearly flat must be replaced.
A property manager can do these tasks for the owner. The tenant cannot. The start-of-tenancy test stays with the landlord or their agent.
What the tenant is responsible for
Once the tenant is in, they must test and clean each alarm at least once every 12 months, and replace a flat or nearly flat battery. If an alarm fails or is about to fail, the tenant has to tell the landlord or property manager as soon as practicable.
Nobody, landlord or tenant, may remove an alarm or its battery, or do anything that makes it less effective.
When an alarm has to be replaced
Any smoke alarm must be replaced within 10 years of the date it was made. That date is printed on the alarm. In late 2026 that means an alarm made before about October 2016 is already due, even if it still beeps when you press the test button.
An alarm that fails a test has to be replaced straight away, including in the middle of a tenancy. A hardwired alarm must be replaced with another hardwired alarm.
Certificates, records and fines
No qualification is needed to test or clean an alarm, and a certificate of compliance from a servicing company is not a legal requirement. When a licensed electrician installs or replaces hardwired alarms, they issue a Certificate of Testing and Compliance for that electrical work. It is worth keeping with the property records.
Since 20 June 2025, failing to install, replace, test or clean alarms can be fined on the spot. The fine is 2 penalty units per offence, which is $345.40 at the penalty unit value from 1 July 2026. The maximum a court can impose is 5 penalty units, or $863.50. Some websites quote higher figures. The Act says 5.
How we handle smoke alarms in rentals
Our owner, Benjamin Hewitt, has said it plainly. "I've upgraded hundreds of cheap, old and faulty alarms in rental properties across Townsville."
On a rental we install interconnected photoelectric alarms in every required spot, replace any alarm past its 10-year date, test the whole system and issue the certificate for the hardwired work. Tell us the property address and how many bedrooms and storeys it has, and we will tell you what it needs before we quote.