More changes likely to smoke alarm regulations based upon recent coroners  inquest;

A summary of the Coroner’s Recommendations are:

• All smoke alarms to be photoelectric
• Smoke alarms inside every bedroom
• All smoke alarms to be interconnected by hard wiring or by wireless where hard wiring is not practical

The Coroner’s detailed recommendations are:

That as a minimum in all areas of a building where people sleep, approved smoke alarms are installed:-

a)  In any storey containing bedrooms (i) between each part of the dwelling containing bedrooms and the remainder of the dwelling and in every bedroom; and ii) where bedrooms are served by a hallway, in that hallway, and

b)  In any other storey not containing bedrooms; and

c)  In the case where there is more than one alarm required, they shall be interconnected by hard wiring where possible and by wireless signal where hard wiring is impractical.

The above implementation should take a staged approach to allow homeowners to prepare for the changes.  After the commencement of the legislation, homeowners are required to ensure the new legislative requirements are met in the following circumstances:

If a dwelling does not have smoke alarms, or does not have smoke alarms that comply with the current legislation, the new legislative requirements must be met immediately (or alternatively within a stipulated period of grace of, say, 6 or 12 months);

When smoke alarms cease to operate when tested or are at the end of their useful life (10 years from manufactured date);

If the owner enters into a contract to sell the dwelling, the day before the date of settlement;

With respect to rental properties, before any new tenancy commences, and within 12 months of the commencement of the legislation in the case of existing tenancies.

The current legislative requirements continue to apply until the new requirements are met in accordance with this staged approach.

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