Changes to the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) mean that landlords must have the right type of smoke alarms installed in the right places to meet new regulations that came into force on 1 July 2016.

All new or replacement smoke alarms must be long-life photoelectric smoke alarms with a battery life of at least eight years that meet the required product standards, or a hard-wired smoke alarm system.

We’ve updated our owner/tenancy agreements to include a declaration around smoke alarms: how many there are, where they are located, and what type of smoke alarms they are. It’s important that it’s clear to both landlords and tenants that the property is compliant.

Ruby Housing checks that smoke alarms are working each time we do a property inspection. We’ll be able to advise you if replacement alarms are needed or if more are required in order to meet the new regulations.

You can check the RTA’s smoke alarm requirements here.