Every Queensland Home Needs Interconnected Smoke Alarms by 1 January 2027
We are your local Gold Coast smoke alarm installation specialists, and licensed electricians too. Book online in two minutes.
- 5.0 from 138 Google reviews
- Licensed electrical contractor (88555)
- Compliance certificate with every job
What a Compliant Queensland Home Needs
From 1 January 2027 the same rules that already apply to rentals and homes being sold apply to every home in Queensland, including the one you live in.
Photoelectric
Photoelectric alarms complying with Australian Standard AS 3786-2014. No ionisation alarms.
Interconnected
When one alarm sounds, they all sound, so you hear it wherever you are in the house.
In the Right Places
In every bedroom, in hallways that connect bedrooms to the rest of the home, and on every storey.
Correctly Powered
Hardwired, or a sealed 10-year lithium battery. Existing hardwired alarms must be replaced with hardwired ones.
Any smoke alarm more than 10 years old must also be replaced. Not sure what you've got? We check every alarm on site.
What Happens If Your Alarms Aren't Upgraded
The date is fixed. Here's what's at stake if your alarms aren't upgraded in time.
It's an Offence
Under the Fire Services Act 1990 (s104RBA), a home owner who doesn't install compliant smoke alarms faces a maximum penalty of 5 penalty units, currently $863.50.
It Can Cost You When You Sell
Under the standard REIQ sale contract, if compliant alarms aren't installed by settlement the buyer can claim 0.15% of the price. That's $1,500 on a $1 million home, more than a full upgrade costs.
It Can Complicate an Insurance Claim
After a fire, insurers look at whether the home met its legal obligations. Check your policy wording, and keep your compliance certificate with your home records.
The real cost isn't the fine. Interconnected photoelectric alarms sound in every room at once, giving everyone in the house the most time to get out.
Fixed Prices. No Subscriptions. No Surprises.
You pay per alarm, fitted and tested, with your compliance certificate included. No annual servicing contract to sign up to.
- Supply and installation
- Interconnection of every alarm
- Full testing on completion
- Removal of your old alarms
- Compliance certificate before we leave
- Prices include GST
* Wireless alarms, and hardwired alarms replaced in the same spot, are $119 each with nothing extra. If a hardwired alarm has to be added or moved and that circuit has no safety switch, the wiring rules require one: $199 including GST per circuit. We always tell you and get your OK first. See terms.
Free wall controller (worth $40) with every full-home upgrade of 4 or more alarms. Test, locate and silence your alarms from the wall, no ladder needed. Conditions apply.
Full Price List
| Smoke alarm, supplied and installed (wireless 10-year or 240V hardwired) | $119 each |
| Minimum charge per visit | $149 |
| Safety switch, only where the wiring rules require one | $199 per circuit |
| Wall controller (free with a whole-home upgrade of 4+ alarms) | $40 |
| Compliance check and certificate, for homes that may already comply | $179 |
| Backup battery replacement in hardwired alarms | $149 call-out + $14.99 per battery |
| Call-out fee if we can't get in, or you cancel on the day | $149 |
| Return visit to test alarms and issue the certificate | $149 |
All prices include GST. No card surcharge. Terms and conditions
Most Homes Need 4 to 6 Alarms
One in every bedroom, one in each hallway outside the bedrooms, and one on every level. Here's what typical Gold Coast homes need at $119 per alarm.
3 bedrooms plus the hallway they open onto.
3 bedrooms and hallway upstairs, plus one downstairs.
Bedrooms off two separate hallways need an alarm in each.
Examples only, based on wireless alarms or hardwired alarms replaced in the same spot. We confirm the exact number on site and agree the price with you before any work starts.
Booked Online, Kept in the Loop, Usually Done in About an Hour
Book a Time
Pick a time online in two minutes, or call us. Your booking is confirmed by SMS and email straight away.
Get a Reminder
We send an SMS and email reminder before your appointment, so it doesn't sneak up on you.
Track Us on the Way
When we head to you, you get a text with our arrival time and a live map link. No waiting around all day.
Installed and Tested
We confirm the price before we start, then install, interconnect and test every alarm. Pay on the spot and your compliance certificate is with you before we leave.
What Gold Coast Homeowners Say
138 Google reviews
“Nick brought our smoke alarms up to compliance for our house sale and advised on a couple of other things. He was super efficient, friendly and knowledgeable. Reasonable price and he worked in with my meetings as I work from home. Absolutely recommend!”
“I would highly recommend Nick from Swift Smoke Alarms to anyone who wants a fast, efficient job done at a great price. Nick is friendly while maintaining a professional approach. He explained everything very clearly so I understood how to operate the smoke alarm system.”
“Such great service @ a great price. Good communication with booking and timeframes. Nick was such a nice personable guy, professional, explained the system, enjoyed our chat. Highly recommend Nick & Swift Smoke Alarms for ease of booking, fast & friendly service.”
“Nick was awesome! He was on time, professional and efficient in installing my smoke alarms for a competitive price too! 5 stars and will be recommending his company to my friends and family for sure.”
Emerald Photoelectric Alarms
Wireless and hardwired models talk to each other, so your whole home works as one system.
- Wireless 10-year alarms. Sealed 10-year lithium battery, so no battery changes and no midnight chirps. Up to 40 alarms link wirelessly with no cabling.
- Hardwired 240V alarms. Where your home already has hardwired alarms, we replace them like-for-like and link them to the wireless alarms.
- Silence them all at once. Press the button on any alarm to hush a false alarm across the whole system, like burnt toast in the kitchen.
- Meets AS 3786-2014 and listed with CSIRO ActivFire.
- Wall controller. Test, locate and silence every alarm from one switch on the wall. Free with 4 or more alarms.
Gold Coast Born and Bred
Swift is a locally owned Gold Coast business. We know the area, from Coolangatta in the south to Woongoolba in the north. About Swift
- Fully licensed and insured. Queensland Electrical Contractor Licence 88555, so we can legally replace hardwired alarms as well as fit wireless ones.
- One flat price. $119* per alarm, wireless or hardwired. No hourly rates.
- No lock-in. No annual servicing subscription. You pay once for the upgrade.
- Always in the loop. Booking confirmation, a reminder before your appointment, and a text with a live map when we're on the way.
- Compliance certificate on the day. You have it before we leave the property.
Common Questions
Does the 2027 deadline apply to me?
If you own and live in your home in Queensland, yes. From 1 January 2027 every existing home, including houses, townhouses and units, must have compliant, interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms. Rental properties and homes being sold have had to comply since 1 January 2022.
What's the penalty if I don't comply?
Under the Fire Services Act 1990 (s104RBA), a home owner who doesn't install compliant smoke alarms faces a maximum penalty of 5 penalty units, which is $863.50 at the current penalty unit value. If you sell, the standard REIQ contract lets the buyer claim 0.15% of the purchase price if compliant alarms aren't installed by settlement. After a fire, your insurer may also look at whether your home met its legal obligations, so check your policy.
You may see much bigger fine figures quoted online. The $863.50 figure comes from the legislation itself.
How many smoke alarms do I need?
Alarms are required:
- in every bedroom
- in hallways that connect bedrooms to the rest of the home
- where there's no hallway, between the bedrooms and the rest of that storey
- on every storey, including levels without bedrooms, in the most likely path of travel out of the home
A typical 3-bedroom single-storey house needs 4 alarms. A 3-bedroom two-storey house usually needs 5. We confirm the exact number on site.
What does it cost?
$119 per alarm, whether it's a wireless 10-year alarm or a hardwired replacement. There's a $149 minimum per visit. The price includes supply, installation, interconnection, testing, removal of your old alarms and your compliance certificate. Prices include GST.
The only possible extra: if a hardwired alarm has to be added or moved to meet the rules, and that circuit has no safety switch, the wiring rules require one. That's $199 including GST per circuit, and we always tell you before doing it. Wireless alarms never need one.
Do my new smoke alarms need to be hardwired?
Only where you already have hardwired alarms. Any existing hardwired alarm must be replaced with a hardwired alarm. All the other required alarms can be sealed 10-year lithium battery alarms, which interconnect wirelessly. If your home has no hardwired alarms now, every new alarm can be wireless.
What type of alarms do you install?
Emerald photoelectric smoke alarms that comply with AS 3786-2014. They come in sealed 10-year lithium and 240V hardwired versions, and interconnect wirelessly, so the two types work together in one system. They carry a manufacturer's warranty.
What happens on the day?
You'll get a reminder before your appointment, and a text with our arrival time and a live map link when we're on the way. On arrival we check your home and confirm how many alarms you need and what type. If that's different from your booking, we explain why and only go ahead once you're happy. If you have hardwired alarms, we isolate just that circuit, usually the lighting circuit, so the rest of your power stays on. We remove the old alarms, install the new ones, interconnect them and test them.
Testing means setting the alarms off several times. It's loud, so we'll warn you first so you can prepare children and pets. Testing has to be done before we can issue your compliance certificate.
Will you cut holes in my ceiling?
Not for wireless alarms. They need no cabling, so we don't go into your roof space or cut into ceilings or walls. We try to cover the old alarm holes with the new alarms. Sometimes an old alarm is in a spot that no longer meets the rules, so the new one goes elsewhere and you may have a small hole to patch.
How do I pay?
On site, before we leave. You can tap your card, phone or watch (contactless, including Apple Pay and Google Pay), or scan a QR code with your own phone and pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay or your card. Cash is fine too.
Do I get a compliance certificate?
Yes, with every installation, at no extra cost. Once payment is made, you'll have it before we leave the property. Keep it with your home records. It's useful for insurance, and if you sell or rent the property later.
What if my home might already comply?
Book a compliance check. We test and clean every alarm and check the types and locations against the Queensland rules. If your home complies, you get a certificate confirming it, for $179 including GST. If anything needs fixing, we tell you what and the price before doing any work.
I'm a landlord or selling my home. What do I need?
Rental properties and homes being sold have had to meet these requirements since 1 January 2022. See our landlords and sellers page for details.
Do I need to maintain the alarms?
Test each alarm by pressing its test button, and clean them every year by gently vacuuming around the vents. Sealed 10-year wireless alarms don't need battery changes, but every alarm must be replaced within 10 years of its manufacture date.
240V hardwired alarms have a backup battery that needs replacing every year, and the alarm may chirp when it's low. Changing it is up to the homeowner, landlord or tenant. We can do it for you for a $149 call-out plus $14.99 per battery. See terms.
We Cover the Whole Gold Coast
From Coolangatta in the south to Woongoolba in the north, and out to the hinterland. Don't see your suburb? Call us, we probably cover it.
Northern Gold Coast
- Woongoolba
- Steiglitz
- Stapylton
- Jacobs Well
- Alberton
- Yatala
- Ormeau
- Ormeau Hills
- Norwell
- Pimpama
- Gilberton
- Kingsholme
- Luscombe
- Willow Vale
- Coomera
- Upper Coomera
- Pacific Pines
- Helensvale
- Hope Island
- Oxenford
- Coombabah
- Hollywell
- Runaway Bay
- Biggera Waters
- Paradise Point
Central Gold Coast
- Southport
- Main Beach
- Surfers Paradise
- Broadbeach
- Broadbeach Waters
- Mermaid Beach
- Mermaid Waters
- Clear Island Waters
- Bundall
- Benowa
- Ashmore
- Molendinar
- Labrador
- Arundel
- Parkwood
- Carrara
- Nerang
- Merrimac
- Worongary
- Highland Park
- Gaven
Southern Gold Coast
- Miami
- Burleigh Heads
- Burleigh Waters
- Varsity Lakes
- Robina
- Reedy Creek
- Mudgeeraba
- Tallebudgera
- Palm Beach
- Currumbin
- Currumbin Waters
- Elanora
- Tugun
- Bilinga
- Coolangatta
Hinterland
- Advancetown
- Austinville
- Bonogin
- Cedar Creek
- Clagiraba
- Currumbin Valley
- Gilston
- Guanaba
- Lower Beechmont
- Maudsland
- Mount Nathan
- Natural Bridge
- Neranwood
- Numinbah Valley
- Springbrook
- Tallai
- Tallebudgera Valley
- Wongawallan
Get Your Home Compliant Before the Rush.
$119* per alarm, fitted and tested, compliance certificate included. Book online in two minutes.