Being a landlord can be incredibly rewarding, but keeping up with the shifting regulations around tenancy can also be tiring. Don’t worry, we’re here to help.
Read on for a comprehensive breakdown of your fire safety responsibilities as a landlord. We cover everything related to NZ compliance, as well as a few extra tips for general fire safety.
Your Legal Obligations as a Landlord
As a landlord in New Zealand, it’s your responsibility to provide adequate system for fire safety in each of your rental properties. Many landlords believe that this obligation starts and ends with installing a couple of smoke alarms, but in reality, there’s a bit more that needs to happen to meet NZ compliance standards.
There are a range of ways that a fire can start in a home. Many of these are your tenant’s purview, but preventing some of these instances is up to you as a landlord. The main thing is to make sure that your smoke alarms are installed according to the following guidelines:
- At least one long-life photoelectric smoke alarm in each bedroom or within 3 metres of each bedroom door.
- At least one long-life photoelectric smoke alarm on each level of the property.
- At least one long-life photoelectric smoke alarm in any caravans or sleep-outs on the property.
Other Ways You Can Prevent Fires on Your Property
The rest of these recommendations aren’t legal requirements, but they are worth heeding if you want to keep your property fire free! Exercising some general fire safety will grant you peace of mind regarding your property and protect the people living there.
- Inspect your electrical system regularly. Electrical system faults cause a large number of fires and are easily prevented with regular inspections.
- Provide enough outlets for your tenants. Extension cords and power boxes are often plugged in back-to-back, which can generate a tremendous amount of heat from the electrical resistance. On top of that, the chained extensions can increase the likelihood of shocks or surges, both of which can cause fires.
- Include a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. Grease fires are notorious for taking over homes quickly, and they can’t be fought with water. But a fire extinguisher can take care of one quickly.
A Tenant’s Fire Safety Checklist
Keep in mind that fire safety comes from your tenant as well! Make sure to run through a tenant’s fire safety checklist with them on move-in day to ensure they know how to look after your property as well as possible. Some things to review with them include:
- Keeping the stovetop and oven clear of spilt grease or burnt foods.
- Any batteries in smoke alarms are replaced.
- Lights are fitted with the right bulb size and wattage.
- And matches, lighters, or fire-starting tools are carefully monitored.
- Candles are never burned without supervision.
- Clothes dryer lint traps are regularly cleaned out.
Choosing Your Smoke Alarms
Per recent changes to NZ compliance laws for tenancy in New Zealand, all new smoke alarms must be either hard-wired into the home or they must be long-life photoelectric smoke alarms. This prevents the batteries from running out, tenants not replacing them, and a blaze igniting without warning.
If there are existing smoke alarms on your property that do not need to be replaced yet, you are not legally obliged to do so. That said, photoelectric long-life smoke alarms are better for your property as a whole, so you might want to do it anyway.
There are also other kinds of alarms suited to different rooms on your property that will prevent false alarms or undetected emergencies. Let’s take a moment to run through your options.
Photoelectric Long-Life Smoke Alarms
A photoelectric smoke alarm works by detecting whether smoke particles have broken a tiny beam of light inside the alarm’s inner chamber. If the beam of light is broken, the alarm sounds, letting occupants know to evacuate the building. Cheaper versions of this kind of alarm can trigger false alarms from insect and dust contamination, so it’s important to invest in high-quality alarms when you can.
To align with NZ compliance these are recommendedrecommend for almost every room in the house, with the exception of rooms that have a lot of moisture, steam, or vapour output. For example, a laundry, kitchen, workshop, or bathroom would be a poor choice for this kind of alarm.
Thermal Heat Alarms
Thermal heat alarms detect fast, flaming fires like grease fires or dryer fires. They monitor changes in ambient room temperature and sound the alarm if there is a rapid, constant temperature increase. They also sound if temperatures reach anywhere above 58 degrees Celsius.
These are ideal for those rooms where you can’t place photoelectric smoke alarms, as they won’t be triggered by moisture or vapour.
Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Carbon monoxide is an invisible, scentless gas that can be lethal when breathed in large enough quantities. It’s generally created by cars and other engines, though there can be other sources in the home. Therefore, it’s important to have a carbon monoxide alarm on your property to keep your tenants safe.
If the carbon monoxide concentration in the air becomes too high, the alarm will sound, indicating tenants must vacate as soon as possible.
Overall, it’s easy to keep your property fire safe and adhere to NZ compliance by investing in the right smoke alarms, having an open conversation with your tenants, and keeping your property up to date. It is worth noting here that Cavius is recalling the Carbon Monoxide alarm 4002 in the interest of optimal safety across the country.
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