Do I pay for Alarm Battery or Tenant ?

Sorry to bug you guys! I have just a few minutes of my lunch break left and dont have time to search. I hope someone can help.


I got this email from my PM

Hi Kim,

The tenant has brought to our attention that the alarm requires a new battery.

Please advise our office if you would like us to organise a contactor to attend and replace this or if you will attend to this yourself.


I thought the tenant should pay for the battery and install it? This is alarm system for the unit. What do you think? Anyone know?
 
I can't believe what babies some tenants are. We are renting at the moment and wouldn't dream of asking the LL to replace batteries, replace light bulbs, fix door handles, fix shower thingies, deal with neighbours and other whinges we hear about on this forum.

What next, replace the damn bath plug eaten by the (illegal) dog?
 
In Queensland, we put a brand new battery in each smoke alarm and test each one at the start of a tenancy. We note it on the entry condition report.

From then on, the tenants change the batteries when they need to, or at least once a year. (Of course, if they cannot reach, we would do it, but we have never been asked. I reckon nobody ever bothers until the "peep" wakes them up one night, and then they probably pull the battery out for a few weeks before remembering to buy a new one :rolleyes:, just like here at home :eek:.)

Check the regulations for wherever your IP is, because as Marg said, regulations may be different.
 
Yeah I think the tenant should do it themselves but maybe WA regulations are different. Hoping to hear from someone in the know.

Maybe i'll just ring the PM tomorrow and ask them for a copy of the regulations.

If I have to get someone out there every single time something like a battery needs replacing its gonna cost!! lol its the same kind of thing as if they were asking me to change their light globes. Dont ya think?

Hmmm how difficult would it be to replace a battery. It couldn't be too hard. Its just a simple alarm system.

I feel I kinda need to put my foot down. She's asked for this, she asked for other things in the past 6 months. It kind of feels like she is just going to keep on asking for everything, expecting me to deliver every time.
 
I just realized you are talking about a unit alarm. Do you mean a back to base or stand alone burglar alarm? I thought you meant a smoke alarm.
 
Alarm system batteries, while they may look simple, there may be a reset procedure etc that needs to be done at the time of replacing. I assume that you have the original operating manual, and your PM has a copy to provide tenants. That would be a good place to start. Ours last around 5 years, so I do not think we can look to th etenants to replace, unless we put it in the lease. Hope that helps
 
Like Peterw says, if it is a back to base alarm, it will have tamper switches built into the box that you need to open to replace the battery.

If this is what you are indeed needing a new battery for, someone needs to call the alarm company, give the voice code, have them de-activate the tamper alarm and then you call back once the new battery is in.

We have just done it. Battery was purchased from Dick Smith (well.... not him personally :D) but you need to know what type of battery to buy (alarm company will tell you what to ask for).

If you have ever been inside a house when the sirens go off, then you will understand the need to have the alarm company know what you are doing and turn off the sirens :D:eek:.

If it is a smoke alarm, then your residential tenancy association (or whatever it is called in other states) will spell out whose responsibility it is.
 
thanks guys, I see now that it is a bit more involved than i thought!
Wasn't thinking about all the rest of it!

I'll get in touch with my PM tomorrow.
 
WE have started installing smoke alarms with10 year lithium batteries.
The unit cannot be removed.They cost about $30 here, so a bit more expensive than a regular smaoke alarm, but pays for itself in replacing batteries.
 
I thought the tenant should pay for the battery and install it? This is alarm system for the unit. What do you think? Anyone know?

I would ring up the company that has control over the alarm system and ask what the call out fee is and work foward from there,otherwise go back into your lease paperwork and see if you have this covered,most alarms are wired so it's a bit strange this system has a battery back-up
good luck willair..
 
Our back to base alarm is hardwired but has a battery back up. It is a battery about half the size of a house brick and when our "battery" light showed recently and we had to replace it, our alarm company were happy to do it for their call out fee, but suggested that we could save that fee by buying it and doing it ourselves, which we did. We called the, and they walked us through it. (I love our alarm company :).)

We have been here over ten years and this is the second battery change, so they do last a long time.
 
If you are in WA smoke alarms need to be hard wired or have a 10 year battery. I realise the original thread was about house alarms, but there seems to be a smoke alarm sub thread creeping in. :)
 
Being an alarm battery, I do not believe it is covered by our state legislation. As the tenant only has to change standard light bulbs, an alarm battery my be considered in the same light. If you want the tenant to change, I think you will have to list it in the next lease.
 
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