Smoke alarms for your home

Every Queensland home must have interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms by 1 January 2027. P4 Electrical installs and replaces smoke alarms in owner-occupied homes across Logan, Ipswich and the southside of Brisbane, and quotes each job after working out what your house needs.

The 2027 rule

The deadline is close, and it applies to every home in Queensland, not just rentals. Rental homes have needed interconnected photoelectric alarms since 1 January 2022. Owner-occupied homes have until 1 January 2027.

The full rules are on the Queensland Government smoke alarm page. In short:

Alarms must meet AS 3786:2014 and must not contain an ionisation sensor.
Alarms go in every bedroom, in hallways that connect bedrooms, and on every level.
Alarms that meet the rules are hardwired or powered by a non-removable 10-year battery.
Alarms must be less than 10 years old.
The alarms must be interconnected, so when one goes off, they all do.

What an install involves

The rule counts every bedroom, every hallway that connects bedrooms and every level, so the number of alarms a house needs can be higher than the number it has now. A typical job looks like this:

Jamie, the owner and licensed electrician, walks through the house and works out where alarms are needed under the rules above.
He checks what is already there: the type of alarm, its age and whether it is hardwired.
You get a quote covering how many alarms, which type, and where each one goes.
On the day, the old alarms come down and the new ones go up, interconnected across the house.

Two-storey homes, houses with extensions and homes with a granny flat or converted garage take more planning, since every level and every bedroom counts.

What you need to know

Hardwired alarms must be installed by a licensed electrician, and a hardwired alarm must be replaced with a hardwired alarm. If your home already has hardwired alarms, swapping them for stick-on battery units is not an option.

More generally, electrical work in Queensland must be done by a licensed electrician, and DIY electrical work is illegal.

If you own a rental, the rules for landlords are on the real estate and rentals page.

What you get

12 months workmanship warranty, plus the manufacturer's warranty on products
An invoice and a certificate for the electrical work

Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law.

Common questions

My house already has smoke alarms. Do I need new ones?

Possibly. They need to be photoelectric, interconnected, free of ionisation sensors, less than 10 years old, and in every bedroom, connecting hallway and level. If any of that is missing, they need replacing or adding to.

Do I need to work out what I have before I call?

No. We check the type, age and placement of your existing alarms when we look over the house. A rough count of bedrooms and levels is enough to start.

Can I just buy battery alarms and stick them up?

If your current alarms are hardwired, no: a hardwired alarm must be replaced with a hardwired alarm, and only a licensed electrician can install those. If there are no hardwired alarms, ask us which option suits the house before you buy anything.

How long does an install take?

It depends on how many alarms the house needs and how easy the ceiling space is to get into. We will give you an idea when we quote.

Smoke alarm jobs often turn up other small work, which is covered under home maintenance and repairs and switchboard upgrades. P4 installs alarms across Logan, Ipswich and the southside of Brisbane.