Rentals and new homes, side by side
| Rentals (Tenancy Services) | New homes (Building Code, C/AS1) | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | Rental homes, boarding houses, rental caravans and self-contained sleep-outs | Household units in building work using the current acceptable solution |
| Type of alarm | New or replacement alarms photoelectric with at least an 8-year battery, or hard-wired | At least a Type 1 domestic smoke alarm system complying with NZS 4514 |
| Interconnection | Not mentioned in Tenancy Services' rental rules | Interconnected alarms to NZS 4514:2021 are the minimum named |
| Where | Every room someone sleeps in, or within 3 metres of each bedroom door, plus one on every level | Ask your designer or council how NZS 4514 applies to your plans |
Rentals: what landlords must do
Working smoke alarms are compulsory in every rental home, boarding house, rental caravan and self-contained sleep-out. Since 1 July 2016, any new or replacement alarm must be photoelectric with a battery life of at least 8 years, or hard-wired, and must meet a recognised international standard.
Alarms must be in every room where someone sleeps, or within 3 metres of each bedroom door, and there must be at least one on every level of a multi-level home. Split-level homes count as multi-level. Caravans and sleep-outs need at least one working alarm.
Existing working alarms that haven't passed their expiry date can stay until they expire or stop working. Landlords must make sure alarms work at the start of every tenancy and keep them working, including maintaining hard-wired systems to the manufacturer's requirements. Tenancy Services' landlord guide says long-life photoelectric alarms should be replaced within 8 years of their manufacture date, and an alarm with no date or an unknown age should be replaced to be sure of complying.
Rentals: what tenants must do
Tenants must not damage, remove or disconnect a smoke alarm. They must replace dead batteries in older alarms that have replaceable batteries, and tell the landlord about any problem. In boarding houses, landlords change expired batteries in shared areas and tenants change them in their own rooms.
Landlords can enter to deal with smoke alarms with 24 hours' notice, between 8am and 7pm. Landlords who don't meet their obligations can face financial penalties of up to $7,200, and tenants up to $4,000.
New homes and building work
For new homes, the Building Code acceptable solution C/AS1 (Second Edition Amendment 1, effective 28 July 2025) requires each household unit to have at least a Type 1 domestic smoke alarm system that complies with NZS 4514. It names interconnected alarms complying with NZS 4514:2021 as the minimum fire safety system. An acceptable solution is one way of showing Building Code compliance, so your designer and council will confirm what applies to your consent.
The previous edition of C/AS1 could only be used for building consent applications submitted before 1 August 2026. If you're applying for consent for a new home now, expect interconnected alarms to be part of it.
Your own home
If you own and live in an existing home, the rental rules don't apply, and the new-home rules come in with building work. FENZ recommends long-life photoelectric smoke alarms in every bedroom, hallway and living area, and pressing the test button on each one once a month.
Selling? We haven't found a separate smoke alarm rule for homes being sold, so we don't quote one. Meeting FENZ's advice before you list is an easy thing to point to.
Who fits hard-wired and interconnected alarms
We couldn't confirm from an official page whether fitting hard-wired or interconnected alarms must be done by a licensed electrical worker, so we don't say it is. What we can say: FENZ doesn't install interconnected alarms for code compliance during its Home Fire Safety Visits and suggests a licensed electrician for that work. In a rental, landlords and tenants can't do any electrical work unless they're licensed themselves.
What we'd do
In a rental, we'd check the date on every alarm at the start of each tenancy and replace anything without one. In our own home, we'd follow FENZ: a long-life photoelectric alarm in every bedroom, hallway and living area, tested monthly. If we were building or renovating, we'd ask early how the interconnected alarms will be wired, so they go in before the linings.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.