It is not a law within the Residential Tenancy Act to have smoke alarms for rental properties installed. However, many Regional Councils are requiring them now. Should the Government put into place the “Property Warrant of Fitness” scheme, I daresay this will become law. Also, it always pays to check with your Insurance Company as to whether you would be covered if none were installed.
As we know, Smoke Alarms save lives and property therefore the NZ Fire Service recommend installing “Long-life photoelectric” alarms. They are a little more expensive but I am sure this outweighs the cost and time of having to replace batteries on a regular basis. They are around $29.95 each at Mitre 10.
- They provide a maximum of 10 years smoke detection.
- They remove the frustration of having to replace batteries when they start beeping. As we know, many tenants take down smoke alarms once they start beeping and often do not advise the landlord thereby placing your property at risk.
- At a bare minimum an alarm should be placed in a hallway closest to the bedrooms.
- Better still one should be placed in each bedroom. Do not place in kitchens, bathrooms or garages.
- Remember that if smoke alarms are in your rented property/ies then it is your responsibility
to replace the batteries when flat. The aforementioned would preclude you from having to do
this each and every time a battery was flat.
As they say “better safe than sorry”.
Thanks to Judy Morgan Property Management for this post.
