STRA Holiday
Let Properties

Smoke Alarm Audit

A key compliance obligation is to ensure your rental property is fitted with at least one working smoke alarm  outside the bedroom and one on each story of the home.

By scheduling an annual inspection by Captain Compliance, you ensure that a professional is visiting your property on a regular basis and keeping your smoke alarms in good working order.

According to Fire and Rescue NSW, they recommend:

• check, test and  replace where required, removable batteries every year
• Alarms be replaced every 10 years
• Batteries be tested every month
• Alarms be cleaned every year
• To ensure smoke alarms work as expected, the Residential Tenancy Act (1997) mandates rental properties in NSW undergo smoke alarm safety checks by qualified tradespeople.

Safety Switches

There is no doubt that safety switches save lives and stop houses from burning down, but when was the last time you tested yours? As part of the annual audit, we test the safety switches on site, every year to ensure they are working correctly. You may not know it, but there are some types of safety switches that have been recalled by the manufacturer because of their tendency to cause fire. Captain Compliance can identify these types of switches, and we see them often. As qualified electricians, we can remove any switches that are not functioning correctly and replace them with new ones.

Blind Cords

It’s not just windows that can pose a safety risk to your tenants. Curtains, shades and blinds with cords and chains can cause injury and death to young children due to strangulation. Blind cords must be installed following very strict government guidelines to prevent a choking hazard and fitted with a swing tag or notice.

That’s why there are two important blind cord safety requirements that apply to rental property across Australia:

• Installation: corded blinds must be installed in a way that prevents a loop from forming near the floor level and must be installed in accordance with installation instructions.
• Labelling: warning labels or swing tags supplied with blinds must not be removed.

Fire Extinguisher & Blanket

Maintenance Schedule

Fire extinguishers must have a tag/label and a hard copy summary record to indicate the completion of the following routine service types, per Section 1.16 of Australian Standard: Routine service of fire protection systems and equipment (AS 1851:2012):

• Six monthly;
• Yearly; and
• Five yearly (hydrostatic pressure test).

Fire Blankets generally cover small fires in Class A and B, plus fires involving cooking oils and fats.

Also used to smother a person with clothing that is on fire or otherwise known as a human torch. These blankets are naturally of a larger area.

Another use for fire blankets can be as a thermal barrier against radiant heat, in a fire situation.

Location must be in an easily accessible place near the fire risk. Free from obstruction when removing the fire blanket from its protective cover.

Normally placed on an exit pathway to ensure that the trained user has the option to fight or flight the fire.

A location sign must be used in commercial applications to help identify the fire blanket location quickly. 6.4.3 Requires the mounting height at 2.0m above the floor area and visually acuity when approaching the fire blanket.

Dwellings in a Class 2 building and Class 4 part of a building

• Class 2 buildings are apartment buildings. They are typically multi-unit residential buildings where people live above and below each other.
• A Class 4 part of a building is a sole dwelling or residence within a building of a non-residential nature. There can only be one Class 4 part in a building.

Portable Fire Extinguishers

A 2.5 kg ABE portable fire extinguisher must be installed in an accessible location in the kitchen in accordance with Section 3 of AS 2444.

Fire Blankets

A fire blanket must be installed in an accessible location in the kitchen in accordance with Section 6 of AS 2444.

Evacuation Diagrams

An evacuation diagram complying with clause 4.2.2 of the STRA legislation must be affixed:

• within the dwelling on or adjacent to the entrance door to the dwelling; and
• within each bedroom on or adjacent to the door to the room

Unfortunately, there are many incidences of companies charging excessive amouts for evacuation diagrams that are not compliant. There are also some landlords who have tried to produce the diagrams themselves, and failed the compliance test. Captain Compliance gives you a certificate of compliance each year, to ensure that when there is an incident in your property, your insurance is not voided and you are protected.

STRA Emergency Text

As part of the STRA requirements, there are 2 pages of text that must be available to your guests while staying at your property. This text highlights what to do in the event of a tsunami or bush fire, and lists the phone numbers and addresses of the local police and hospital, as well as the local emergency radio station. Captain compliance has a very robust system to ensure that each time this information is upgraded by the NSW government, your property is fitted with the required text.

CO2 Alarm

CO2 alarms are a requirement of the Airbnb platform if your house has a fuel burning device. It is also a requirement if you would like your property to be listed in the “Airbnb Luxe” section of the website, for premium properties. These alarms are cleaned, tested and the batteries changed as required.

24hr Emergency Protection

Our “Gold Standard” Emergency protection is why we have over 1000 properties signed up to our subscription. It is a well known story… It’s Friday afternoon, and the guests have just arrived at your Airbnb. They get comfortable, make dinner and enjoy their first night on holiday. A perfect scene. Then at 2am, the smoke alarms trigger for no reason, causing the visitors to panic and vacate the property, while one brave soul ventures back inside to destroy the nearest smoke alarm with a broom. Come morning, they are asking for a discount on the rate, or worse, to be relocated to a new house.

With Captain Compliance, things are different. If this happens to one of our customers, we know that our name is on the line. We get there as fast as possible (inside 60 mins), fix the problem, calm the guests down and hand them a direct line to our on-call phone number, in case it happens again. All this at zero cost. It’s included in the annual audit fee.

On top of that, if the smoke alarms were installed by Captain Compliance, they are replaced for free as well. We know what is riding on our work, so we would rather replace the units, than have them trigger again. By signing up to our Annual STRA Audit, you put yourself in the best position to limit outcomes like the scenario above, and know that there is someone that will pick up the phone at any time, and get the job done.

First Floor Windows

A check that is often overlooked and may have dire consequences. Distances are measured and quotes sent while on site, to save time and money, and protect the occupants and the owners’ liability.

Unsafe windows can be a major hazard to your tenants, especially if they have young children. Unfortunately, around 50 children fall from windows or balconies every year in Australia, with many suffering injuries or even death as a result.

That’s why a key compliance obligation for landlords is to make sure window safety devices are installed to prevent the risk of falling (especially from a height).

Here are a few practical ways you can boost the safety of your rental property’s windows, including:

• Don’t rely only on fly screens as these are only designed to keep out insects, not hold the weight of a falling child.
• Install window safety devices on all above-ground windows which will stop the window opening more than 12.5 cm.
• Move furniture away from windows and the edge of balconies and keep light furniture out of reach of young children.

NB. While window locks or screens are mandatory for some buildings, they are not for others. Captain Compliance suggests that these measures are included on ALL buildings as minimum safe standard.

Emergency Exit Door Locks

Keeping your property safe and secure isn’t just about boosting the appeal of your rental property. Well-maintained locks are actually a compliance obligation for landlords. Some properties require locks that do not need a key or tool to unlock them. This is to prevent the chance of your tenants or guests becoming trapped in the event of a fire.