Which side of 1994 is your house on?
The date that matters in Canberra is 1 November 1994. Houses built after it are legally required to have hardwired alarms, which run on the home's power and keep a backup battery for blackouts. Older houses still need working alarms, but the hardwired requirement is tied to that date.
If yours are hardwired now, they stay that way. ACT Fire & Rescue says a hardwired alarm must be replaced with a hardwired alarm, and connecting one to the home's power is licensed electrical work.
Homes with more than one level
A multi-level home needs an alarm on each level, interconnected. Linked alarms talk to each other, so smoke in a downstairs living room also sets off the alarm outside the upstairs bedrooms.
ACT Fire & Rescue's wider advice is hardwired, interconnected alarms wherever possible. Where a battery alarm is used, it rates a photoelectric alarm with a 10-year lithium battery as the best option.
Renting in the ACT: who does what
| Landlord | Tenant | |
|---|---|---|
| When the tenancy starts | Makes sure working smoke alarms are installed, complying with AS 3786 | Moves in with working alarms |
| During the tenancy | Does urgent repairs, such as a dangerous electrical fault, as soon as practicable | Checks the alarms and replaces the battery |
| A hardwired alarm fails | Arranges a licensed electrician, replacing hardwired with hardwired | Tells the landlord rather than swapping it |
Selling in the ACT: a gap we're upfront about
We couldn't find an official ACT page setting out smoke alarm rules when a home is sold, so we don't state any. If you're selling, ask your conveyancer what the contract needs, and have every alarm tested and its date checked either way.
What to ask the electrician
- Which licence do you hold, and can I find you on Access Canberra's public register of electricians?
- Can I see a certificate of currency for your public liability insurance?
- Will the replacements be hardwired photoelectric alarms that all sound together?
- Will you lodge the certificate of electrical safety form and give me a copy?
- When were these alarms made, and when are they due for replacement?
What you can do, and what's licensed work
You can
- Test the alarms and change the battery, which is the tenant's job in a rental.
- Vacuum the dust off each alarm every six months, as ACT Fire & Rescue advises.
- Replace a removable lead or alkaline battery every 12 months. ACT Fire & Rescue suggests the end of daylight saving as the reminder.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Replacing a hardwired alarm, always with another hardwired one.
- Interconnecting alarms across levels.
- Any electrical wiring work, which must meet the wiring rules and be tested to AS/NZS 3017.
What we'd do in Canberra
Check your home's build date and count the levels. If the alarms are near 10 years old, aren't photoelectric, or don't sound together across floors, get a licensed electrician to fit hardwired photoelectric alarms that are interconnected, and ask for a copy of the certificate form. Then set a reminder for 10 years from the date on the sticker, because ACT Fire & Rescue says to replace alarms every 10 years whatever powers them.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.