Ask most homeowners where their smoke alarms are, and you’ll usually get a shrug. “One in the hallway, I think?” is the most common answer we hear — and it’s exactly the kind of setup that’s about to become non-compliant.
From 1 January 2027, new Queensland legislation requires every owner-occupied home to meet the same smoke alarm standards already in place for rental properties and homes being sold. If you own and live in your home, this deadline applies to you — and with less than six months to go, now’s the time to check where you actually stand.
Where Alarms Actually Need to Go
Under the updated legislation, compliant smoke alarms must be installed:
- In every bedroom
- In every hallway that connects bedrooms to the rest of the home
- On every storey, even if there are no bedrooms on that level
That last point catches a lot of people out. A single alarm covering the whole downstairs of a two-storey home doesn’t cut it — each level needs its own coverage, regardless of layout.
The Bigger Change: Interconnection
It’s not just about location. Every alarm in the home needs to be interconnected, meaning if one alarm detects smoke, all of them sound — instantly, throughout the house. So if a fire starts in the kitchen at 2am, the alarm in your bedroom down the hall goes off too, not just the one nearest the smoke.
Alarms also need to be photoelectric (not the older ionisation type), and either hardwired with battery backup or powered by a sealed 10-year lithium battery.
Why Waiting Is a Bad Idea
We saw exactly how this plays out back in 2022, when the same standard rolled out for rental properties — a rush of last-minute bookings, longer wait times, and higher demand on installers right before the deadline. With the 2027 changes applying to every remaining owner-occupied home across Queensland, that squeeze is likely to be even bigger.
Getting ahead of it now means:
- No scrambling to book an installer in the final weeks of 2026
- More time to plan the right number and placement of alarms for your home
- Peace of mind that your family’s covered well before the deadline hits
Quick Self-Check
Walk through your home and ask:
- Is there an alarm in every bedroom, or just the hallway?
- If your alarm goes off in one room, would you hear it in another?
- Are your alarms battery-only and unconnected to each other?
If you answered “no,” “not sure,” or “yes” to those in turn — it’s worth getting a proper assessment.
Our licensed electricians can check your current setup, walk you through what’s required for your home, and handle the full upgrade — done right, well ahead of the 2027 deadline.
