Smoke alarms
New Zealand rental property smoke alarm checklist
Every New Zealand rental home needs working smoke alarms in the required locations. A useful property record identifies where each alarm is, what type it is, when it expires, when it was last tested and how any fault was resolved. A quick glance from the doorway does not provide that record.
Check every sleeping area and level
There must be a smoke alarm in every room where someone sleeps or within 3 metres of each bedroom door. A multi-storey or multi-level home also needs an alarm on each level. The rules extend to rental caravans and self-contained sleep-outs.
Walk the current sleeping layout instead of relying on an old floor plan. If a room has changed use, confirm that the coverage still fits. Installation must follow the manufacturer's instructions, so an alarm should not be moved simply because cooking sets it off.
Confirm the alarm type and expiry date
Every new alarm installed in a rental must be photoelectric. It must have a battery life of at least eight years or be hard-wired, meet the required standards and be installed according to the manufacturer's instructions.
An existing alarm can remain if it works and has not passed its expiry date. Record the brand, model, power type and printed expiry date. If the information cannot be read, investigate it instead of assigning a guessed date.
Test alarms at the start of each tenancy
Landlords must make sure smoke alarms work at the start of each new tenancy and remain in working order during the tenancy. Test each unit as its manufacturer specifies and record the date, result and person who completed the test.
A failed test needs action before handover. Battery replacement is appropriate only when the alarm is designed for a replaceable battery and the current responsibility permits it. Expired or faulty alarms should be replaced with a qualifying alarm.
Record landlord and tenant responsibilities
The landlord provides correctly located alarms, confirms they work at the start of the tenancy and keeps them working. A tenant must not damage, remove or disconnect an alarm and must tell the landlord about problems as soon as possible. For an older alarm with replaceable batteries, the tenant replaces a dead battery during the tenancy.
Give the tenant a short written note showing alarm locations and how to report a problem. Record the tenant report, action taken and completion date. Boarding-house common areas and rooms have different duties, so those records should be kept separate from an ordinary residential tenancy.
Maintain hard-wired alarms and keep an address record
A hard-wired smoke alarm still needs testing, expiry tracking and maintenance to the manufacturer's requirements. Do not disconnect it or alter fixed wiring as a routine property task. Faults involving the fixed electrical connection belong with a licensed electrical worker.
UBL Electrical can assist with hard-wired alarm faults and related electrical repairs across metropolitan Auckland. Send the alarm location, model, test result and safe photographs for a free quote, or call 021 0284 3210.
- Address and alarm location by bedroom, hallway or level
- Brand, model and photoelectric type
- Long-life battery or hard-wired power source
- Installation date where known and printed expiry
- Last test date, result and person who tested
- Fault report, action and completion date
- Invoice and electrical documents for applicable hard-wired work