The best time to change a smoke alarm battery is on a scheduled date which can easily be remembered. A great idea is to replace your smoke alarm batteries annually when you either set your clock forward or back for the beginning or end of Daylight Savings Time.

Indications which suggest your smoke alarm is not in good working condition is if it makes a chirping noise. This sound may mean the batteries are not charged. If changing the batteries and cleaning the alarm does not work, you need to replace the unit. If you hear no sound when smoke is present, test the unit and replace the battery. If there is still no sound, you may have bad sensor or sounding device and may need to consider a new alarm. It is important to always use high quality brand name batteries for your smoke alarm.

Our Property Managers should be able to provide you with contact details for a Smoke Alarm Specialist companies as an option for our landlords to ensure their smoke alarms are in working order at their rental properties. These companies can come out annually to check that Smoke Alarms are in working order - taking the stress out of monitoring the smoke alarms and making sure the legal liabilities are met.

The annual should include the following:

• Checking the location and number of alarms required as per building codes
• Checking the expiry date of each alarm and replacement if necessary with Australian Standard photoelectric alarms
• Replacing all alarms that are not properly functioning (including hard-wired alarms)
• Cleaning the alarm and replacing batteries
• Testing each alarm as appropriate with artificial smoke for functionality and decibel levels are compliant
• Issuing a compliance certificate
• Schedule return within 12 months (or upon request at new tenancy agreement)

We are not experts in the location, cleaning, testing or the installation of smoke alarms, nor are we experts in the correct operation or life of smoke alarms. We recommend that you engage licensed contractors to carry out the monitoring and testing of smoke alarms in all rental properties.

Please feel free to contact our property managers should you have any queries about smoke alarms or our smoke alarm service.

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are believed to be accurate at the time of posting. Any advice here is of a general nature only and has not been tailored to your personal circumstances. Please seek professional advice prior to acting on this information.