Selling or renting your QLD home? The smoke alarm checklist nobody warned you about
If you're selling or leasing a QLD home in 2026, you must have compliant smoke alarms or the sale / lease can't proceed. Here's the checklist.
Selling or leasing a QLD home in 2026 means smoke alarms are now part of due diligence, same as termite and pool fence. Get it wrong and the contract can't go unconditional.
Why this matters now
From 1 January 2022, every QLD home being sold or leased must already comply with the new photoelectric / interconnected / hard-wired rules. From 1 January 2027, every home in QLD will. If your home is going on the market or onto a rental roll right now, you're already in scope.
If your alarms are non-compliant, the buyer's solicitor will flag it as a breach of disclosure, the agent will ask for a quote and a deadline, and you'll be paying twice, once for emergency-rate compliance install, once for delays.
The 7-point checklist
Walk your house with this list:
- Are your alarms hard-wired? (Look for a wire entering the alarm.) If they take a 9V battery only, no.
- Are they photoelectric? (Look for the word "photoelectric" on the back.) If they say "ionisation" or nothing, no.
- Are they interconnected? (Press the test button on one, does it set off all the others?) If only one sounds, no.
- Are they less than 10 years old? (Date is on the back.) If older, they must be replaced.
- One in every bedroom? Walk it.
- One in every hallway connecting bedrooms to the rest of the house?
- One on every other storey?
If you say "no" or "not sure" to any of those, you're non-compliant.
What the agent will ask
Most QLD agents will ask for a Smoke Alarm Compliance Certificate before listing. Voltech provides this with every install, it's a single A4 doc with the property address, the alarms installed, the date, the electrician's licence, and a sign-off.
Your conveyancer will want a copy on settlement. Your agent will want one for the listing. Your insurer will want one if there's ever a claim. Same single piece of paper.
Cost and turnaround
For a typical 3-bed Brisbane home:
- Supply, install, certify, and email certificate: $1,100
- Same-day install in our core suburbs
- 48 hours notice for outer suburbs
If your sale is conditional on it, ring 0411 054 811, we hold same-day capacity for selling/leasing emergencies.
, John
I'm John, local Camp Hill sparky, fully licensed, fixed-price quotes, lifetime workmanship warranty. Ring me direct on 0411 054 811 or send a quick message.
Keep reading
QLD smoke alarm laws 2027: the simple version (and what it'll cost)
From 1 January 2027, every QLD home needs interconnected, photoelectric, hard-wired smoke alarms. Here's exactly what you need, where, and what it should cost.
Interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms: a complete guide for Brisbane homes
What they are, how they're different to old ionisation alarms, what brands actually work, and how the wireless interconnect works in practice.