Smoke Alarm Installation
The rules changed. Since 2 November 2024, new builds and consented renovations must have interconnected smoke alarms - in every bedroom, living area, hallway and on every level. We get you compliant in a single visit.
Compliant with the rules most people haven't heard of
Smoke alarms are the cheapest life-safety device you will ever buy, and the most commonly non-compliant.
New Zealand's requirements were substantially upgraded, and most homes - and plenty of rentals - are still wired to the old assumptions. Here's where the rules actually sit, and how we get you compliant in a single visit.
The current rules, in plain English
The legal minimums are floors, not targets.
New builds & consented renovations (since 2 Nov 2024)
Building consents must include interconnected smoke alarms to NZS 4514:2021 - when one triggers, every alarm sounds. Required in all bedrooms, living spaces, hallways and landings, at least one per level; enclosed kitchens get a heat alarm (so burnt toast doesn't cry wolf). Alarms must be 10-year sealed-battery or 240V mains, with hush and test - and hard-wired alarms must be installed by a licensed electrician.
Rental properties
Working alarms are compulsory - in every sleeping room or within 3 metres of each bedroom door, and at least one on every level (sleepouts included). New or replacement alarms must be long-life photoelectric (or hard-wired). Landlords must ensure they work at the start of each tenancy; tenants replace replaceable batteries and mustn't disable alarms.
Every other home
The configuration we'd put in our own homes is the new-build standard - interconnected, photoelectric, every bedroom - because an alarm you can't hear from behind a closed door at 3am is a technicality, not protection.
What we install
Placement matters as much as the hardware - alarms belong on or near the ceiling, clear of dead corners and steamy doorways.
Hard-wired interconnected systems
240V alarms with battery backup, wired as part of new builds and renovations or retrofitted; the most robust option and one only a licensed electrician may install.
Wireless interconnected systems
10-year sealed photoelectric alarms that talk to each other by radio: full new-code compliance without rewiring - the retrofit answer for existing homes and the renovation answer where walls stay closed.
Rental compliance packages
Per-property assessment against the tenancy rules, compliant photoelectric alarms installed where required, and a dated compliance record per property for your file. Portfolio pricing across both cities; pairs naturally with a landlord electrical safety check and our Healthy Homes heat pump work.
Upgrades & replacements
Alarms are 10-year devices; the yellowing one from the previous owner is very likely expired. We date-check, replace and reposition to the standard, not to habit.
FAQs
Are interconnected smoke alarms mandatory in NZ?
For building consents on new homes and major renovations since 2 November 2024, yes - to NZS 4514:2021. Existing homes and standard rentals aren't required to interconnect (yet), but it's the standard we recommend regardless.
What smoke alarms are required in rentals?
Working alarms in or within 3m of every sleeping space and on every level; anything newly installed must be long-life photoelectric or hard-wired. Non-compliance is finable and rather worse than finable if there's ever a fire.
Photoelectric vs ionisation - does it matter?
Yes: photoelectric alarms respond faster to the smouldering fires that kill people in their sleep, which is why NZ's rental rules mandate them for new installs. If yours are old ionisation units, replace them.
How much does smoke alarm installation cost?
Priced per alarm, with whole-home and rental packages quoted per property - confirmed upfront when you book. Hard-wired systems quoted per home.
Where should smoke alarms be installed?
On or near the ceiling in every bedroom, hallway and living area, one per level, heat alarm in enclosed kitchens - and away from bathrooms' steam plumes and ceiling-fan wash.
Compliant by dinnertime
One visit, whole house, dated compliance record in your inbox.