The Smoke Alarm Laws you must know when selling a house

Are you selling your house? Make sure your smoke alarms are up-to-date. If you’re getting ready to sell your house, you’ll need proof that you have hardwired photoelectric, interconnected smoke alarms OR Non-removable 10-year battery smoke alarm in every bedroom, in your hallway and on each level of your home you won’t be able to sell your house. If you think that it won’t get picked up that your smoke alarms are non-compliant, think again. Checking for smoke alarm compliance to the new laws that came in 2022 are part of the building inspections buyers’ book before they buy a property. It makes sense to get your smoke alarms compliant before you put your property on the market.

Yeppoon Lawyers Managing Partner and Lawyer Leonie Davey says it’s always a good idea to get organised before you put your property on the market.

“Are your smoke alarms up-to-date? When you’re selling your house, you want the property sold and the settlement finalised as soon as possible, you want to avoid delays.

“Making sure your property is compliant with things like smoke alarms and pool certificates means less delays at settlement time,” Leonie Davey says.

Why do I have to install interconnected smoke alarms?

Preventable residential fires account for more than 1800 deaths in the past 10 years. The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and The Queensland Government are being proactive introducing laws that will save lives.

What is a hardwired photoelectric, interconnected smoke alarm?

It’s a smoke alarm system you wire up to your mains power.  If one smoke alarm is set off then all the alarms go off, letting the whole house know there’s a fire somewhere in the house.

What are the laws?

Smoke alarms in the dwelling must:

• Be photoelectric and meet AS 3786-2014 standard
• Not also contain an ionisation sensor; and
• Be less than 10 years old; and
• Be interconnected with every other smoke alarm in the dwelling so all activate together.

How do I get a hardwired photoelectric, interconnected smoke alarms?

Book an appointment with one of the many local electricians on the Capricorn Coast.  They can go through the options with you and suggest the best smoke alarm for your home.

What if I lease my property, do I need to meet these rules too?

Yes, all properties being leased or that are under an existing lease must meet all of the laws for smoke alarms too.  It keeps the tenants safe and protects your responsibilities as a landlord.

Leonie says if you’re unsure of what you need to do to get your house ready for sale a quick call to your lawyer or your real estate agent can be a great place to start.

“When our clients are buying or selling a property, we review their contacts as part of our service and we go over all the things you need to do for the transaction.

If you would like us to review your property purchase contract or give you up-to-date information on what you need to do as a seller, call us now on 4925 0229 to book your appointment.