Working smoke alarms or detectors are compulsory in all rental homes. New smoke alarms must be photoelectric and have a long battery life, or be hard-wired.

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Smoke alarm requirements for rental properties (transcript)

Transcript:
Smoke alarms save lives.

As a landlord, it is your responsibility to make sure there are working smoke alarms in the right places in your rental property.

Working smoke alarms are compulsory in all rental homes, boarding houses, rental caravans and self contained sleep outs.

There must be a smoke alarm in every room where someone sleeps, or within 3 meters of each bedroom door.

In multi storey or multi level homes, you must install a smoke alarm on each level or storey.

Smoke alarms installed after July 1st 2016 must be long life photoelectric alarms that meet the required international standard. You can purchase these from most hardware stores. [visual shows online purchase screen]

If you have a smoke alarm that was installed before this date, it must be replaced by one that meets the standard once it reaches its expiry date. [visual shows a hand removing old smoke alarm and replacing with new photoelectric alarm]

If you don't comply with the regulations, you can be fined [visual shows a penalty notice being removed from an envelope] and the consequences of not having working smoke alarms in your rental home could be far worse. [visual shows a phone screen with a phone call being made to Emergency 111, and a house on fire with flames in windows and smoke rising]

So do the right thing. Make sure your rental property is properly equipped with smoke alarms and check your smoke alarms regularly to make sure they are still operational. [visual shows a hand installing a smoke alarm, then testing the alarm by pressing button, then a thumbs up gesture]

If you have a hardwired smoke alarm system in your property, make sure it is maintained per the manufacturer's requirements. [visual displays a hard wired smoke alarm and a sheet of paper titled "photoelectric smoke alarm instructions"]

For more information on how to install and test smoke alarms properly, head to tenancy.govt.nz.

Smoke alarms must be installed:

  • within 3 metres of each bedroom door, or in every room where a person sleeps
  • in each level or storey of a multi-storey or multi-level home
  • in all rental homes, boarding houses, rental caravans, and self-contained sleep-outs.

All new smoke alarms must:

  • be photoelectric
  • have a battery life of at least eight years, or be hard-wired
  • installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions
  • meet international standards.

Existing smoke alarms do not need to be replaced if they are working, and have not passed the expiry date.

Landlords and tenants are responsible for maintaining smoke alarms

Landlords must ensure smoke alarms:

  • are working at the start of each new tenancy
  • remain in working order during the tenancy

Tenants must:

  • not damage, remove, or disconnect a smoke alarm
  • replace dead batteries during the tenancy if there are older-style smoke alarms with replaceable batteries
  • let the landlord know if there are any problems with the smoke alarms as soon as possible.

Landlords can enter their rental home to comply with smoke alarm requirements. They must give 24 hours’ notice and entry must be between 8am and 7pm.

If landlords don’t meet their obligations, they could face financial penalties of up to $7,200. If tenants don’t meet their obligations they could face financial penalties of up to $4,000.

Boarding houses

Landlords must replace expired batteries in the common areas of boarding houses like hallways and kitchens.

Tenants must replace expired batteries for smoke alarms installed in their rooms.

If there are problems with smoke alarms

If you’re concerned about the smoke alarms in your rental home, talk to your landlord or tenant to try to solve the issue.

If you can’t reach an agreement you can apply for mediation or a Tenancy Tribunal hearing.

How to solve a problem
Disputes process

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Last updated: 06 September 2023