Eleven people perished three years ago when fire tore through a high set home at Slacks Creek, south of Brisbane. The victims included three women, four teenagers and four children under the agent of 10. Most of the victims were asleep when the fire took hold shortly after midnight. While police ruled the fire was a tragic accident the coroner will this week look at what might be done to prevent a repeat of this horrible event. Specifically, coroner James McDougall has said he’ll consider whether the law should be changed to force all properties to have working smoke alarms at the time they change hands.
The law presently states that all homes and units in Queensland must be fitted with smoke alarms. Homes built before 1 July 1997 must have at least one 9-volt battery-operated smoke alarm with Homes built or significantly renovated after 1 July 1997 requiring a 240-volt (hard-wired) smoke alarm.
The residential contracts used in the vast majority of property transactions across Queensland already include a smoke alarm installation check-box which must be completed by the seller notifying the buyer as to whether or not there is a compliant smoke alarm installed at the property. The coroner will consider whether new laws should be adopted to impose an obligation for a
person selling a property to ensure that smoke alarms are installed before settlement.
For more information about smoke alarms including legislation, types, installation and maintenance please select from the following.
http://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/communitysafety/smokealarms/pdf/QFES-InfoSheet-SALegislation.pdf
http://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/communitysafety/smokealarms/pdf/QFES-InfoSheet-SATypes.pdf
http://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/communitysafety/smokealarms/pdf/QFES-InfoSheet-SAInstall.pdf;
http://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/communitysafety/smokealarms/pdf/QFES-InfoSheet-SAMaintain.pdf
Related articles
New Seller Disclosure Regime: are you prepared?
Understanding the New Seller Disclosure Regime in Queensland Effective from 1 August 2025, Queensland sellers must provide buyers with a Seller Disclosure Statement prior to the buyer siging the Contract. Read further to stay ahead of the changes when selling residential property in Queensland. What Is the Seller Disclosure Regime? The new seller disclosure framework […]
Brisbane office relocation.
We are excited to announce the relocation of our Brisbane office to the newly built 480 Queen St, effective Thursday 10 January 2019. We remind clients that while they are always welcome to make an appointment to see us at our location, we endeavor to keep their conveyancing as a ‘no meetings needed’ process to […]
100,000 Queensland Settlements!
Some of the bah humbug felt in the property market leading up to Christmas brings to mind the saying “tough times never last, tough people do”. During our 15 years of helping Queenslanders with their conveyancing we’ve seen several property cycles. One thing that remains constant is that clients always want to know they’re getting […]
Property investors alert: what lies ahead in 2019?
Looking ahead to 2019, a looming change which may impact the Queensland and national property conveyancing markets is potential tax reform on property investments. Here are 5 key things to be aware of as policies ahead of the 2019 federal election take shape: KRG Conveyancing understands the important role investors play in maintaining a dynamic property market. […]
How common is contract termination?
Terminated Contracts are part and parcel of the real estate industry. In recent months, we know many agents have been left feeling they are experiencing more than their fair share. At KRG Conveyancing, we have formed property market insights across market cycles during our 20 year history. We would like to share with you some […]