May 12, 2022
As millions of people work and school their kids from home, we hear that home is the safest place to be – but the fire risk may be higher than usual, especially leading into winter. The most important thing you can do as a property manager ensures every home on your roll is adequately protected with compliant, working smoke alarms.
Troy Thompson, Managing Director at Smoke Alarms Australia, the industry leader in smoke alarm services, says during winter, the risks for house fires are more significant with more people using heaters and appliances, cooking, and possibly overloading power boards. People must be vigilant in having smoke alarms installed and that they are operational.
Property managers and landlords, of course, want to ensure that tenants are safe and they are meeting their duty of care. Being sure that homes have adequate, functioning smoke alarms is the essential thing agents can do to impact fire safety.
Research shows that an absence of working smoke alarms increases the risk of dying in a house fire by an incredible 80 percent. It's a terrifying statistic.
It's not enough to have alarms installed. They must work! Data for properties serviced by Smoke Alarms Australia show that more than 50% of homes are not compliant on the first service. Close to half of all home fires attended by fire services are at properties where the smoke alarm does not work.
Strict rules outline the responsibilities of landlords and agents. The simplest way to protect yourself, your landlords, and of course, your tenants is to engage a smoke alarm service provider who will manage the maintenance of alarms at all your properties.
If your agency already has a relationship with Smoke Alarms Australia, log into the portal for the latest updates on how we are progressing with your properties or our website for important notifications on how we've adapted our procedures to meet smoke alarm requirements while maintaining social distancing.
Suppose you are not currently working with us. In that case, our website has many useful information and tools, including our risk calculator, which will help you evaluate the risk in your portfolio for your uncovered properties.