Interconnect every alarm
Even where the law doesn’t require it, fire services recommend interconnecting all smoke alarms, so a fire anywhere in the house wakes everyone.
Every home in Victoria must have working smoke alarms. What type they must be, and whether they have to be linked together, depends on when the home was built or last largely renovated.
The law sets the minimum. Fire services recommend going further, and in most homes the upgrade is a small job. Here’s what applies, in plain English.
- Built before 1 August 1997: standalone, battery-powered smoke alarms are the legal minimum.
- Built after 1 August 1997: smoke alarms must run on 240 volt mains power, with a backup battery in each alarm. They must be installed by a licensed electrician.
- Built or largely renovated after 1 May 2014: where the home needs more than one alarm, they must all be interconnected, so if one sounds, they all sound.
Alarms must meet the Australian Standard AS 3786, with at least one between the sleeping areas and the rest of the home, and one on each level. Not sure when your home was built? The building permit records will say.
Bedrooms and living areas
The minimum is one alarm between the bedrooms and the rest of the home on each level. An alarm in every bedroom and living area gives earlier warning.
Photoelectric alarms
Photoelectric alarms respond well to slow, smouldering fires, the common kind in homes, and are less prone to false alarms from cooking.
Replace every 10 years
Smoke alarms wear out. Check the date on the back of each one and replace any that are more than 10 years old or past their expiry date.
Test them regularly
Press the test button on every alarm regularly. Once a month is a good habit, and battery alarms need their batteries replaced as they run down.
Wireless interconnection
Wireless interconnected alarms link by radio, so an existing home can be upgraded without running cable between every alarm.
Since 25 November 2025, every rental property in Victoria must have its smoke alarms checked at least once every 12 months, whenever the lease was signed. Rental providers must keep each alarm correctly installed and working, with batteries replaced as needed.
Before the lease starts, renters must be given written information on how each alarm works and how to test it. A faulty smoke alarm is an urgent repair, and renters must report faults and must not remove or disable an alarm. Consumer Affairs Victoria has the full rules.
- An alarm is more than 10 years old, or past its expiry date
- An alarm doesn’t sound when you press the test button
- There’s no alarm on a level, or one alarm is covering several bedrooms down a long hallway
- An alarm keeps chirping with a fresh battery, or has been painted over
Joel can replace old alarms with hardwired photoelectric alarms and interconnect them, wired or wireless. Call him on 0413 548 944.
Do I have to install interconnected smoke alarms in an older home?
Not by law, unless the home was built or largely renovated after 1 May 2014 and needs more than one alarm. Fire services still recommend interconnecting every alarm, and wireless interconnected alarms make it simple in an existing home.
Do smoke alarms have to be hardwired in Victoria?
In homes built after 1 August 1997, yes: they must run on 240 volt mains power with a backup battery, installed by a licensed electrician. Homes built before then can use standalone battery alarms.
What smoke alarms does a rental property need?
Hardwired alarms with battery backup if the building dates from after 1 August 1997, or battery alarms in older buildings, all kept working and checked at least every 12 months. Since 25 November 2025 the yearly check applies to every rental, whenever the lease started.
Who is responsible for smoke alarms in a rental?
The rental provider must install them, keep them working and have them checked every year. Renters must report faults and must not remove or disable an alarm or its battery.
Can I link my existing smoke alarms together?
Often, by swapping them for alarms with wireless interconnection, or by running an interconnect cable between hardwired alarms. Joel can check what you have and suggest the simplest way to link them.
Do I need new smoke alarms when I renovate?
A large renovation can bring the home under the current rules, including mains-powered and interconnected alarms. Your builder or building surveyor will confirm what the building permit needs, and Joel can do the electrical side.
LENNELEC is a local electrician based in Somerville, covering the Mornington Peninsula and south-east Melbourne. More guides
Time to upgrade your smoke alarms?
Tell Joel how many bedrooms and levels your home has, or call to talk about hardwired and interconnected alarms.