Queensland law requires interconnected, photoelectric smoke alarms, meaning that when one alarm detects smoke, they all sound at once. This applies to bedrooms, hallways connecting bedrooms, and each storey of the home. You can find the full legislative timeline on the Queensland Government's smoke alarms page.

The requirements have been rolling out in stages since 2017. New builds and major renovations needed to comply first, then any home being sold or leased from 2022, and all remaining homes need to be compliant by 1 January 2027. If your smoke alarms haven't been touched in a while, it's worth checking where your property sits against that timeline.

Battery only alarms can generally be swapped by a homeowner, but hardwired smoke alarms need to be installed or replaced by a licensed electrician, since they're connected to the property's electrical circuit. If you're not sure which type you have, we can check this as part of a broader electrical safety inspection.

Photoelectric alarms respond faster to smouldering fires, which are the more common and dangerous type of house fire, while ionisation alarms are quicker to detect flaming fires but slower with smoke. Photoelectric is now the required type under Queensland legislation, so if your home still has older ionisation alarms, they'll need to be upgraded.

Rental properties were actually required to meet the interconnected, photoelectric standard earlier than owner occupied homes, with a 2022 deadline rather than 2027. As a landlord, it's your responsibility to make sure this is in place before a new tenancy starts, and it's a common thing we get asked to check during a property changeover.