ServiceM8 form
ServiceM8 smoke alarm inspection form for rental properties
This ServiceM8 Form records a per property smoke alarm check for agents: alarm location, type, expiry, test result, battery status and a photo. It follows the NSW landlord duty to check alarms every year (Residential Tenancies Act 2010, s 64A) and the Victorian duty to test them every 12 months (Residential Tenancies Act 1997, s 68AA), so one form covers both states' rent rolls.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
Free form
Rental smoke alarm check form for smoke alarm servicing
A per property PDF in the job diary naming every alarm checked, its test result, battery status and a photo, for the agent's tenancy file.
The form: 21 questions
| Section | Question | Type | Req. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property | Property address | Text | Yes | Prints on the report header. One form per property, run once a year. |
| Property | Managing agent and property manager | Text | Yes | Who the report is filed against. |
| Property | State | Choice NSW / VIC | Yes | Sets which duty this check is closing out: the NSW annual check or the VIC 12 monthly test. |
| Property | Occupied or vacant | Choice Tenant in place / Vacant, between tenancies | Yes | |
| Property | Number of storeys | Number | Yes | NSW requires at least one alarm per storey. |
| Alarm 1 | Alarm location | Text | Yes | For example hallway outside main bedroom. Copy this whole section for each extra alarm. |
| Alarm 1 | Alarm type | Choice Hard wired with battery back up / Battery powered / Combined smoke and heat / Interconnected | Yes | |
| Alarm 1 | Brand and model | Text | ||
| Alarm 1 | Manufacture date on alarm | Text | Printed on the alarm body. Most makers set a 10 year replacement life. | |
| Alarm 1 | Expiry or replace by date | Date | Leave blank if not printed on the unit. | |
| Alarm 1 | Test button result | Choice Pass, alarm sounded / Fail, no response / Not tested, inaccessible | Yes | |
| Alarm 1 | Battery | Choice Replaced today / Tested, still good / Not applicable, hard wired only / Missing or flat, not replaced | Yes | NSW requires a removable battery to be replaced every year, or per the maker's period for a lithium battery. |
| Alarm 1 | Alarm cleaned of dust and debris | Choice Yes / No | Yes | |
| Alarm 1 | Photo of alarm in place | Photo | Yes | |
| Alarm 1 | Defect notes | Text | ||
| Result | Any alarm failed or replaced today | Choice No, all alarms passed / Yes, see notes above / Alarm inaccessible, could not test | Yes | A fail here should trigger a same visit or two business day follow up under both states' repair timeframes. |
| Result | Tenant advised of test | Choice Yes, in person / Yes, by note left on site / Not applicable, vacant property | Yes | |
| Result | Date checked | Date | Yes | |
| Result | Next check due | Date | Yes | 12 months from today in both states. |
| Result | Technician name and licence or competency number | Text | Yes | |
| Result | Technician signature | Signature | Yes |
Set it up in ServiceM8
- In ServiceM8 open Settings > Forms > Add Form and name it Rental smoke alarm check.
- Add each question above in order. Choice means Multiple Choice, tick Mandatory where required is true.
- Copy the Alarm 1 section for Alarm 2, 3 and 4, renaming each label, so a property with alarms on multiple storeys gets one row per alarm on the report.
- Click Download Sample Template, lay the alarms out as a table with one row per alarm, add your logo and the agent's details, and upload it as the form template.
- Save the form into a Job Template in Settings > Job Templates, named for this service.
- In the Dispatch Board, create a Recurring Job for each property on the roll, set the Recurring Type to Reminder, and set the frequency to yearly.
- In Settings > Preferences > Recurring Jobs, set the lead time (1 to 12 weeks) so reminders reach the Inbox with enough notice to book a tenant.
- Bulk import the rent roll as clients first if it is not already in ServiceM8, then run the form on a handful of test properties before switching the whole portfolio over.
Two states, two different duties on the same form
NSW and Victoria both make the rental provider responsible for smoke alarms, but the wording is not identical, and a form built for one state alone will under record the other. In NSW, the landlord must check smoke alarms every year to make sure they are working, install or replace removable batteries every year (or, for a lithium battery, within the period the maker sets), and repair or replace a faulty alarm within two business days of finding out about it. That duty sits in the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 and the Residential Tenancies Regulation 2019.
In Victoria the rental provider's duty is to have each smoke alarm tested at least once every 12 months, in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Victorian alarms installed after 1997 must be hard wired with a battery back up, alarms in older buildings can be battery only, and every alarm must meet AS 3786. Both states expect the check to be current at any time, not just at the start of a tenancy, which is why this form is built to run as a scheduled job rather than a one off.
One form, every property on the roll
A single rental smoke alarm check is a five minute job. A hundred of them a year, one per property, is a scheduling problem, and that is what the Recurring Jobs + Reminders add-on is for. Build the form below into a Job Template, then set a yearly Reminder against every property in the portfolio. ServiceM8 recommends the Reminder type, not a fixed time Recurring Job, for a 12 month interval: the visit lands in the office Inbox ahead of the due date so someone can book a time with the tenant, rather than a technician turning up on a date fixed a year in advance.
Recurring Jobs and Reminders can only be created and edited from the Dispatch Board in the Online Dashboard, so set the roll up there, then let field staff run the resulting jobs from the app. Because ServiceM8 only bills for a reminder once it is converted into a job, a property that changes agency before its check falls due does not use up a job on your plan.
What goes on the report the agent keeps
The completed form becomes a PDF in the job diary, one per property, which is the record the property manager files against that tenancy. It names every alarm on the property rather than treating the check as one line, because a house can have alarms of different ages and types across several storeys, and only one of them being out of date is enough to put the property out of compliance. Add a photo of each alarm in place and the report also shows the agent exactly what a tenant would see if they called about a beeping unit.
What this form will not do
- ServiceM8 Forms do not calculate an expiry date or a next due date from the manufacture date, so both are entered by the technician.
- This form covers the NSW and Victorian rental duties only. Other states set their own smoke alarm rules for rental properties and need their own version of the State question and due dates.
- The form records what the technician found. It does not itself notify the tenant or lodge anything with a regulator, and a failed result still needs the office to action a same visit or two business day fix.
- Recurring Jobs and Reminders can only be set up or changed from the Online Dashboard, not the mobile app, so the rent roll has to be scheduled from the office.
Sources
- In NSW, landlords must check smoke alarms every year to ensure they are working, and must install or replace removable batteries every year (or, for lithium batteries, in the period specified by the manufacturer), or within two business days of the tenant notifying them the battery needs replacing unless the tenant agrees to do it themselves. NSW Government (Residential Tenancies Act 2010, s 64A; Residential Tenancies Regulation 2019, ss 13 to 21), checked 25 Sep 2026.
- In NSW, landlords must ensure at least one smoke alarm is installed in a hallway outside a bedroom, or other suitable location, on each storey of a rented home, and must repair or replace a smoke alarm within two business days of finding out it is not working; hard wired alarms must be repaired or replaced by a licensed electrician. NSW Government, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- In Victoria, a rental provider must ensure each smoke alarm is tested at least once every 12 months in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions; alarms installed in buildings from 1997 must be hard wired with battery back up, alarms in older buildings may be battery powered, and all alarms must meet AS 3786. Consumer Affairs Victoria (Residential Tenancies Act 1997, s 68AA), checked 25 Sep 2026.
- ServiceM8 Forms question types are Text, Text (Multi-line), Number, Date, Multiple Choice, Multiple Choice (Multi-answer), Signature and Photo; a question can be made compulsory, and completed forms are converted to a PDF and saved to the job diary. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- ServiceM8 recommends the Reminder type, not a fixed time Recurring Job, for 6 monthly or yearly work: a Reminder arrives in the office Inbox a set lead time before it is due (one week by default, adjustable up to 12 weeks) rather than booking a technician to a fixed date and time in advance. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Recurring Jobs and Reminders must be built from a Job Template, and can only be created or edited from the Dispatch Board in the Online Dashboard; ServiceM8 only charges for a reminder once it is converted into a job. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.