May 24, 2018 at 2:48 PM

 

Over the past 2 years since smoke alarms became compulsory in rental properties the team at Residential Rentals Ltd have completed an upgrade process with all of our rental properties to ensure they are compliant with this law. For landlords who are unfamiliar with the regulations we outline the main details below:

 

Where to place the alarm

2016 Smoke Alarm Regulations of the Residential Tenancies Act state that all smoke alarms must be installed:

• within 3 meters of each bedroom door, or in every room where a person sleeps
• in each level or story of a multi-story or multi-level home
• in all rental homes, boarding houses, rental caravans, and self-contained sleep outs.

 

Type of Alarms

All new smoke alarms must:

• be photoelectric
• have a battery life of at least eight years, or be hard-wired
• installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions
• meet international standards (ISO12239)

The standard should be displayed prominently on the packaging and on the alarm. If in doubt, ask the retailer you are purchasing the alarms from.

If there are smoke alarms already installed in your rental property, but they are not long-life photoelectric smoke alarms, they do not need to be replaced as long as they are in the required locations and their replacement date hasn’t expired.

If you are unsure about the date of existing alarms, the replacement date should be listed on the alarm.  If there is no replacement date on the alarm, the alarm is more than eight years old, or you don’t know how old the alarm is, you will need to replace it with a photoelectric smoke alarm to be certain you are complying with regulations.

 

Who is responsible for smoke alarms?

Under the legislation both landlords and tenants have responsibilities to keep smoke alarms working. If landlords and tenants fail to meet these obligations they could be fined up to $4,000.

 

Landlords/Property Managers must ensure smoke alarms:

• are in working order
• are working at the start of each tenancy
• that a smoke alarm statement is displayed in the tenancy agreement. 

 

Tenants must:

• not damage, remove, or disconnect a smoke alarm
• replace dead batteries during the tenancy if there are older-style smoke alarms with replaceable batteries
• let the landlord/Property Manager know if there are any problems with the smoke alarms as soon as possible.

 

Landlords have the right to enter a rental home to comply with smoke alarm requirements after 24 hours’ notice between the hours of 8 am and 7 pm.

 

Tenants concerned about smoke alarms should talk to their landlord first.

 

As part of our routine internal and external inspections and whenever there is a change of tenant Residential Rentals Ltd conduct smoke alarm testing to check and ensure our rental homes are safe for our tenants and the home is complaint with this very important law.

 

For additional information please refer to New Zealand Fire Service https://fireandemergency.nz/at-home/smoke-alarms smoke alarm best practice recommendations.

 

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.