Owners are required by law to install and maintain smoke alarms in your rental property in Queenland.

All smoke alarms must be photoelectric, hardwired or 10-year tamper proof battery powered and all interconnected by 31st December 2021.

Smoke alarms must be installed on each storey plus :
»» in each bedroom; and
»» in hallways which connect bedrooms and the rest of the dwelling; or
»» if there is no hallway, between the bedrooms and other parts of the storey; and
»» if there are no bedrooms on a storey at least one smoke alarm must be installed in the most likely path of travel to exit the dwelling.

They must be tested and cleaned within 30 days before the start of a tenancy agreement.

In addition they must be replaced in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, each battery in the smoke alarm that is flat, or almost flat, within 30 days before the start of a tenancy.

The owner must replace smoke alarms when:
1. They reach 10 years after the date of manufacture; or
2. They do not work (including during a tenancy).

If you become aware that a smoke alarm in the rental property is not working, other than because the removable battery is flat or ‘chirping’, you must advise the landlord or agent as soon as practicable.

Smoke alarms make a warning ‘beep’ or chirp’ when there is a fault or when the battery is low.

The chirp may indicate the smoke alarm has become contaminated. Vacuum your smoke alarm with a soft brush attachment around the smoke alarm vents to remove any build-up of dust and cobwebs.

Use a surface insect spray around the smoke alarm to prevent insects from nesting inside it. Ensure you cover the smoke alarm while you spray to ensure you do not spray inside the smoke alarm.

Never paint over or cover your smoke alarms.

You can hush a beeping alarm by holding down the hush button for 3 seconds. This will generally silence the alarm for 10 minutes.

A licenced electrical contractor is required to disconnect or install mains powered smoke alarms.

Mains powered smoke alarms may give a low battery warning after periods of extended mains power outage. You should be aware of this once the mains power is restored.

After a technician has replaced a battery, the alarm may continue intermittently beeping for up to 15 minutes. This is normal.

If after changing the battery the smoke alarm continues to sound a warning ‘beep’ or ‘chirp’, the smoke alarm may be faulty and require replacement, so please contact your Property Manager.

If the smoke alarm is beeping irregularly, with no discernible pattern, it’s probably not the battery, it could be a spider or insects. If possible, remove the cover and blow out any cobwebs that has gathered there.

Another common cause of a smoke alarm beeping is a sharp variation in temperature and/or humidity. If the smoke alarm sits in an unconditioned part of your home like the top floor, it may be that in the winter, as the temperatures drops, the battery could became too cold to reliably deliver an electrical charge.

Yet another possible explanation could be ash, pollen, or dust that interrupts a small beam of light housed within the device, then even something as innocuous as an open window could be to blame. Consider cleaning the unit or close the closest window.

Sometimes, a smoke alarm beeps so loudly that even if the sound seems to be coming from one spot, it may really be emanating from somewhere else in the home. Please ensure you are looking at the correct smoke alarm.

If your hardwired smoke alarm is beeping and you have tried everything, you could try resetting the power which may solve the problem by resetting the device. If the alarm sounds a few times and then goes silent, that means it’s back to working order.

Owners are required by law to install and maintain smoke alarms in your rental property in Queenland.

All smoke alarms must be photoelectric, hardwired or 10-year tamper proof battery powered and all interconnected by 31st December 2021.

Smoke alarms must be installed on each storey plus :
»» in each bedroom; and
»» in hallways which connect bedrooms and the rest of the dwelling; or
»» if there is no hallway, between the bedrooms and other parts of the storey; and
»» if there are no bedrooms on a storey at least one smoke alarm must be installed in the most likely path of travel to exit the dwelling.

They must be tested and cleaned within 30 days before the start of a tenancy agreement.

In addition they must be replaced in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, each battery in the smoke alarm that is flat, or almost flat, within 30 days before the start of a tenancy.

The owner must replace smoke alarms when:
1. They reach 10 years after the date of manufacture; or
2. They do not work (including during a tenancy).

If you become aware that a smoke alarm in the rental property is not working, other than because the removable battery is flat or ‘chirping’, you must advise the landlord or agent as soon as practicable.

Smoke alarms make a warning ‘beep’ or chirp’ when there is a fault or when the battery is low.

The chirp may indicate the smoke alarm has become contaminated. Vacuum your smoke alarm with a soft brush attachment around the smoke alarm vents to remove any build-up of dust and cobwebs.

Use a surface insect spray around the smoke alarm to prevent insects from nesting inside it. Ensure you cover the smoke alarm while you spray to ensure you do not spray inside the smoke alarm.

Never paint over or cover your smoke alarms.

You can hush a beeping alarm by holding down the hush button for 3 seconds. This will generally silence the alarm for 10 minutes.

A licenced electrical contractor is required to disconnect or install mains powered smoke alarms.

Mains powered smoke alarms may give a low battery warning after periods of extended mains power outage. You should be aware of this once the mains power is restored.

After a technician has replaced a battery, the alarm may continue intermittently beeping for up to 15 minutes. This is normal.

If after changing the battery the smoke alarm continues to sound a warning ‘beep’ or ‘chirp’, the smoke alarm may be faulty and require replacement, so please contact your Property Manager.

If the smoke alarm is beeping irregularly, with no discernible pattern, it’s probably not the battery, it could be a spider or insects. If possible, remove the cover and blow out any cobwebs that has gathered there.

Another common cause of a smoke alarm beeping is a sharp variation in temperature and/or humidity. If the smoke alarm sits in an unconditioned part of your home like the top floor, it may be that in the winter, as the temperatures drops, the battery could became too cold to reliably deliver an electrical charge.

Yet another possible explanation could be ash, pollen, or dust that interrupts a small beam of light housed within the device, then even something as innocuous as an open window could be to blame. Consider cleaning the unit or close the closest window.

Sometimes, a smoke alarm beeps so loudly that even if the sound seems to be coming from one spot, it may really be emanating from somewhere else in the home. Please ensure you are looking at the correct smoke alarm.

If your hardwired smoke alarm is beeping and you have tried everything, you could try resetting the power which may solve the problem by resetting the device. If the alarm sounds a few times and then goes silent, that means it’s back to working order.