Buying an Older Home in North Brisbane? Check the Smoke Alarms
Buying an established home in North Brisbane can be exciting, particularly if you have found a property with the location, layout and character you have been looking for. However, while you are checking the condition of the kitchen, bathrooms, roof and electrical system, there is another important safety feature that deserves attention: the smoke alarms.
Queensland has strict requirements for smoke alarms in residential properties, and homes being sold have been required to meet the upgraded smoke alarm standard since 1 January 2022.
If you are buying an older property in North Lakes, Redcliffe, Kippa-Ring, Caboolture, Chermside or elsewhere across North Brisbane, checking the smoke alarm system should be part of understanding the condition and safety of your new home.
At North Lakes & Surrounds Electrical, we assist homeowners throughout North Brisbane and the City of Moreton Bay with hardwired smoke alarm installation, replacement and electrical safety services.
What Are the Smoke Alarm Requirements When Buying a Home in Queensland?
Queensland’s smoke alarm reforms have been introduced progressively, with different deadlines applying to different properties.
Since 1 January 2022, homes and units being sold in Queensland have been required to have compliant photoelectric interconnected smoke alarms before ownership is transferred.
The requirements are particularly important to understand when purchasing an established property because an older home may have originally been constructed under very different smoke alarm standards.
Compliant smoke alarms must:
- Be photoelectric.
- Comply with Australian Standard AS 3786-2014.
- Not contain an ionisation sensor.
- Be less than 10 years old.
- Operate correctly when tested.
- Be interconnected with every other required smoke alarm so they activate together.
- Be hardwired or powered by a non-removable 10-year battery, depending on the existing installation and applicable requirements.
Where Should Smoke Alarms Be Installed?
One of the easiest ways to identify a potential problem when looking through an older home is to consider where the smoke alarms have been installed.
Queensland requirements specify that smoke alarms must be installed on every storey of the home.
They are required:
- Inside every bedroom.
- In hallways connecting bedrooms with the rest of the dwelling.
- Between bedrooms and other parts of the storey where there is no hallway.
- In the most likely path of travel towards an exit where a storey contains no bedrooms.
This means an older three or four-bedroom home with only one smoke alarm in the hallway would not meet the current requirements for a property being sold.
Why Older North Brisbane Homes Are Worth Checking
North Brisbane has a diverse range of housing, from newer estates through to established homes that have been standing for several decades.
Areas such as Redcliffe, Kippa-Ring, Chermside and Caboolture contain many established properties, while suburbs such as North Lakes and Mango Hill include a mixture of newer and established homes.
The age of a property does not automatically mean there is a problem with its smoke alarms. Previous owners may already have completed the necessary upgrades.
However, older properties are still worth checking carefully because their original electrical systems and smoke alarm installations may pre-date the current requirements.
Don’t Assume an Alarm Is Compliant Because It Looks New
It can be difficult to determine whether a smoke alarm complies simply by looking at it from the floor.
A white alarm mounted neatly to the ceiling may look relatively new but could still be unsuitable.
Check whether the alarm is photoelectric and whether AS 3786-2014 is marked on the unit. You should also check the manufacture date because compliant alarms must be less than 10 years old.
If an alarm is more than 10 years old or fails to operate when tested, it needs to be replaced.
Check That the Smoke Alarms Are Interconnected
Another important consideration is whether the required smoke alarms are interconnected.
Interconnected smoke alarms communicate with each other so that when one required alarm detects smoke, all of the interconnected alarms activate.
This provides an important safety advantage in larger homes.
For example, if smoke is detected downstairs while family members are sleeping upstairs, interconnected alarms help ensure the warning can be heard throughout the property.
Smoke alarms can be interconnected using wired or wireless technology, so the absence of visible interconnection wiring does not necessarily mean the alarms are operating independently.
Check the Smoke Alarms in Every Bedroom
If you are attending an inspection or completing your final checks before settlement, look inside each bedroom.
There should be a compliant smoke alarm in every bedroom, not simply one alarm positioned outside the sleeping area.
You should then check the hallway or area connecting those bedrooms with the remainder of the property.
In a four-bedroom home, for example, you could have four alarms inside bedrooms plus additional alarms in hallways and other required locations.
The exact number required depends on the property’s layout and number of storeys.
What About Hardwired Smoke Alarms?
Many established North Brisbane homes have smoke alarms that are connected to the property’s 240-volt electricity supply.
If an existing hardwired smoke alarm needs to be replaced, it must be replaced with a hardwired photoelectric smoke alarm that meets the applicable requirements.
Hardwired smoke alarms must be connected by a licensed electrician.
Interconnection does not necessarily mean extensive new wiring needs to be installed throughout the property. Depending on the existing system and compatible products, alarms can be interconnected using wired or wireless technology.
Look at the Age of the Smoke Alarms
Smoke alarms do not last indefinitely.
Queensland’s requirements specify that alarms must be less than 10 years old. The manufacture date should be marked on the alarm.
This can be particularly relevant when buying an established property where the existing smoke alarms may have been installed many years earlier.
Even if an older alarm appears to be operating, reaching the 10-year age limit means it needs to be replaced.
What Should the Seller Have Done?
For Queensland homes being sold, the seller is responsible for ensuring the property meets the applicable smoke alarm requirements before the dwelling is transferred to the buyer.
The seller must also declare as part of the property transfer process that the smoke alarm obligations have been met.
Where hardwired interconnected smoke alarms have been installed by a licensed electrician, electrical testing and compliance documentation is issued for that electrical installation.
As a buyer, this does not mean you need to become a smoke alarm expert. However, knowing what the requirements look like can help you ask informed questions during the purchasing process.
Include Smoke Alarms in Your Post-Purchase Electrical Checks
After purchasing an older home, it can also be worthwhile having the property’s electrical system assessed, particularly if you are unsure when electrical work was last completed.
Along with smoke alarms, an electrician can identify issues involving older switchboards, safety switches, power points, lighting and other parts of the electrical installation.
This can be particularly useful if you are planning renovations, adding appliances or making other changes after moving into the property.
What About the 1 January 2027 Deadline?
Queensland’s final smoke alarm deadline is 1 January 2027, when the upgraded requirements extend to all remaining domestic dwellings.
However, this does not mean someone selling a property can wait until 2027.
Homes being sold have already been required to meet the upgraded smoke alarm standard since 1 January 2022.
The 2027 deadline is primarily significant for remaining existing properties, particularly owner-occupied homes that have not been sold, leased or otherwise required to upgrade under an earlier stage of the reforms.
Buying an Older Home in North Brisbane?
If you have recently purchased an established property in North Lakes, Redcliffe, Kippa-Ring, Caboolture, Chermside or another North Brisbane suburb, take a few minutes to check the smoke alarms.
Look for an alarm in every bedroom, check the hallways and each storey, confirm the alarms are interconnected and make sure ageing hardwired alarms have been appropriately replaced.
North Lakes & Surrounds Electrical provides professional hardwired smoke alarm services throughout North Brisbane and the City of Moreton Bay.
Our licensed electricians can assess existing hardwired smoke alarms, replace ageing or faulty units and complete electrical work required for compliant hardwired smoke alarm installations.
Contact North Lakes & Surrounds Electrical if you need help checking or upgrading the hardwired smoke alarms in your new North Brisbane home.
