Compliance by state

NSW rental smoke alarm rules: what landlords, agents and electricians must do

Under the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 and Regulation 2019, a NSW landlord must check smoke alarms every year, replace removable batteries yearly, replace alarms within 10 years of manufacture and repair any fault within 2 business days. Only a licensed electrician may repair or replace a hardwired alarm, according to NSW Fair Trading.

Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.

Official name: No prescribed certificate. Landlord smoke alarm duties under the Residential Tenancies Act 2010, s 64A and the Residential Tenancies Regulation 2019, ss 13 to 21
Regulator: NSW Fair Trading
Who issues it: The landlord or agent arranges the work. Hardwired alarms may only be repaired or replaced by a licensed electrician
When: Every year (annual check and removable battery), on any fault, and at 10 years from manufacture
Deadline: Repair or replace within 2 business days of finding out an alarm is not working
Lodgement: Nothing is lodged with Fair Trading. Strata landlords notify the owners corporation within 24 hours where the exemption applies
Keep records for: Fair Trading's guidance sets no retention period. Keep each annual check report so the agent can show the duty was met
Penalty: Fair Trading's guidance states no fine for these duties. If the landlord does not act within 2 business days the tenant may arrange the work and must be reimbursed within 7 days, and tenants can seek Tribunal orders for repairs under s 65 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010.

Homeowner? If you rent in NSW and an alarm stops working, tell your landlord or agent: they have 2 business days to fix it, and a hardwired alarm must be fixed by a licensed electrician.

What the certificate must show

No prescribed form. For the agent's evidence: property address and date of the annual check
Each alarm's location and whether it is hardwired or battery
Removable batteries replaced (or lithium battery replacement date per manufacturer)
Manufacture or expiry date of each alarm, flagged when it is inside 10 years of replacement
For hardwired repairs or replacements: the licensed electrician's name and licence number

Recent change

Tenancy agreements that started on or after 23 March 2020 include a smoke alarm section, which in a strata scheme records whether the owners corporation is responsible.

Produce it from a ServiceM8 job

Set up each rental as a client or site with a job category of Smoke alarm annual check, and record in the job description whether each alarm is hardwired or battery.
After the first annual check, create a 12 month Reminder so the next check lands in the Inbox about a week before it is due.
Build a form, Smoke alarm check NSW, with per alarm questions: Location, Power (Hardwired / Removable battery / Lithium sealed), Test result, Battery replaced, Manufacture date and a Photo.
Add a Multiple Choice question, Hardwired unit needs repair or replacement, and have the office review that answer on every completed check so any Yes is rebooked with a licensed electrician rather than the checker.
Create a separate job category for fault callouts and schedule them within 2 business days of the agent's notice, with the 1 hour notice to the tenant recorded in the job diary.
Put the electrician's licence number in the report template for any hardwired work so the agent's file shows who did it.
Email the completed report from the job diary to the property manager.

The duty is a working alarm, all the time

NSW frames the rule around outcome rather than a pre-lease visit. NSW Fair Trading says landlords must ensure smoke alarms, including heat alarms, are working, and that this cannot be pushed onto the tenant through the tenancy agreement. An alarm counts as not working if it has been removed and not replaced, does not work (a flat battery included), or is malfunctioning through dust, insects, contaminants or corroded circuitry.

On top of that standing duty sit the scheduled tasks: check every alarm once a year, install or replace removable batteries every year (for lithium batteries, in the period the manufacturer specifies), and replace each alarm within 10 years of manufacture or sooner if the manufacturer says so. At least one alarm must be installed in a hallway outside a bedroom, or another suitable spot, on every storey.

Two business days, and the notice rules

When the landlord finds out an alarm is not working, the repair or replacement must be done within 2 business days, and that includes swapping a removable battery. To come in and assess the problem the landlord needs to give the tenant at least 2 business days' notice. To carry out the repair or replacement itself, the notice is at least 1 hour. For a service firm on an agency contract, that combination means the booking system has to handle same week callouts with a short notice to the tenant, not just annual rounds.

Who may touch a hardwired alarm

This is where NSW is stricter than its neighbours. Fair Trading's list of landlord duties ends with a flat rule: use a licensed electrician to repair or replace a hard-wired smoke alarm. The same limit follows the tenant. A tenant (other than a social housing tenant) may choose to replace a removable battery themselves, provided they told the landlord first, do it within 2 business days of that notice and report back within 24 hours. But a tenant may only arrange a hardwired repair or replacement if the landlord has not done it within 2 business days, and must also use a licensed electrician. A tenant who pays for the fix is entitled to be reimbursed within 7 days after giving written notice with receipts.

In practice the handyman or general smoke alarm company can do annual checks and battery changes on battery alarms, but any job that disconnects or replaces a 240 volt unit is an electrician's job and needs to be scheduled as one.

Strata properties are different

Where the rental is in a strata scheme, the landlord's smoke alarm duties do not apply if all four conditions are met: the alarms are hardwired (or battery alarms the owners corporation is responsible for), the landlord has told the tenant in writing that the owners corporation is responsible, the landlord notifies the owners corporation within 24 hours of learning of a problem, and the landlord takes reasonable steps to get it fixed. Tenancy agreements from 23 March 2020 have a smoke alarm section recording who is responsible. Check it before quoting, because in these buildings your customer may be the owners corporation, not the agent.

Sources

Landlords must ensure smoke alarms (including heat alarms) are working and cannot delegate this to tenants in the tenancy agreement; an alarm is not working if removed, not working (including a battery needing replacement) or malfunctioning. NSW Fair Trading, Smoke alarms in a rental property, checked 25 Sep 2026.
Landlords must repair or replace a smoke alarm, including a removable battery, within 2 business days of finding out it is not working. NSW Fair Trading (Residential Tenancies Regulation 2019, s 14), checked 25 Sep 2026.
Landlords must check smoke alarms every year, install or replace removable batteries every year (lithium batteries in the period the manufacturer specifies), replace alarms within 10 years of manufacture, give 2 business days' notice to inspect and 1 hour notice to repair, and use a licensed electrician to repair or replace a hardwired smoke alarm. NSW Fair Trading (Residential Tenancies Regulation 2019, ss 13, 15 and 20), checked 25 Sep 2026.
A tenant (not a social housing tenant) may replace a removable battery after notifying the landlord, within 2 business days of that notice, and must notify the landlord within 24 hours; a tenant may arrange a hardwired repair or replacement by a licensed electrician if the landlord has not done so within 2 business days, and is entitled to reimbursement within 7 days. NSW Fair Trading (Residential Tenancies Regulation 2019, ss 16 to 18; Residential Tenancies Act 2010, s 64A), checked 25 Sep 2026.
The strata exemption from the landlord's smoke alarm duties applies only if the alarms are hardwired or the owners corporation is responsible for battery alarms, the tenant has been told in writing, the landlord notifies the owners corporation within 24 hours, and the landlord takes reasonable steps to have the work done. Tenancy agreements from 23 March 2020 have a smoke alarm section. NSW Fair Trading (Residential Tenancies Regulation 2019, s 21), checked 25 Sep 2026.
At least one smoke alarm must be installed in a hallway outside a bedroom or other suitable location on each storey of a rented home. NSW Fair Trading, checked 25 Sep 2026.
ServiceM8 Reminders suit longer term work such as 12 month service intervals and arrive in the ServiceM8 Inbox about one week before the occurrence. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.