Smoke alarms A small fire can grow to take over an entire room in two to three minutes. A smoke alarm provides early warning and time to escape. The Residential Tenancy Act 1997 (Tas) requires all property owners to install and maintain smoke alarms in rented residential properties. Your property is equipped with smoke alarms in line with the relevant regulations. During your time in your property, you will need to: • Test that your smoke alarm is functioning effectively. You can do this by pressing the test button on the smoke alarm with a broom handle, to see if the alarm makes a beeping sound. The Tasmanian Fire Service recommend testing this monthly. • Vacuum your smoke alarm every six months to remove any dust and debris that is caught in the vents.
Smoking in properties
It’s important that everyone enjoys their property, in the way they wish to enjoy it. However, smoking inside
your property causes damage which can be
extremely costly to repair. In most cases, these costs will be passed on to the resident. When people choose to smoke inside a property, over time nicotine will coat painted surfaces with a thin brown film. Before repainting, all surfaces need to be washed, and coated with a sealer to prevent the brown colour leaching into new paintwork. The cigarette smoke also causes an unpleasant smell which soaks into all areas that have been exposed to it, potentially impacting on future occupants. Residents or visitors must NOT smoke inside your property. This is a condition of all Housing Choices leases.
NOTE
If your smoke alarms are not working effectively, or at all contact your Housing Officer or call 1300 312 447 to report the issue.
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