Terms of Service

STANDARD TERMS OF SERVICE

Thank you for choosing to use our services and for supporting a Sunshine Coast family business.

In these terms and conditions of service, “we” “us” and “our” refers to McGrath Family Trust in Trust for Sunstate Property Compliance QLD PTY Ltd ACN 637601971 trading as Coast Smoke Alarms and “You” means the owner of the property or where different to the owner of the property, the party who has engaged our services such as a managing agent.

We reserve the right to alter these terms of service by written notice to you.

By using our Services, you are agreeing to these terms.

We offer the following services as an Annual Subscription or One-Off Service

·         Smoke Alarm Installation, Upgrade, Service and Compliance Checks -Annual Subscription and One-Off Service

Packages are available for properties meeting the legislative requirements of the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Act 1990, Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008, Building Regulation 2006 and Australian Standard (AS) 3786:2014. 

·         Blind Cord Compliance – Only available as an add-on to a smoke alarm annual subscription

·         Safety Switch Testing – Available within a smoke alarm annual subscription or as a One-Off Service

·         Pool Compliance – One-Off Service

Our Annual Subscription Service provides rental properties with a compliance inspection of the nominated property’s  smoke alarms prior to a new lease or lease renewals being issued OR for owner occupied properties and holiday lets an annual inspection and maintenance of the property’s smoke alarms.  Corded blinds may be added to an annual subscription at an additional cost.  Safety switch sighting is the default option included in all packages; safety switch testing is only included if requested in writing by you for the Nominated Property.  In addition to compliance inspections, we may attend the nominated property to replace under warranty or service a malfunctioning alarm, these services are included in your Annual Subscription Service. Additional costs may apply, please see Smoke Alarm Services points 3 and 4.

All our prices are inclusive of G.S.T. unless stated otherwise.

 Package Change

If, on attendance of a property we find a property is enrolled under the wrong package we reserve the right to automatically change the package.  For example, if a property is found to have interconnected smoke alarms in the bedrooms the property will automatically be moved to the package covering properties complying to this legislation.

Smoke Alarm Services

Our smoke alarm services are available as either an annual subscription or a one-off service. 

We provide smoke alarm services to Class 1a and Class 2 (sole occupancy) Buildings as classified under the Building Code of Australia. Please contact us if you wish to discuss enrolling a property classified as any class other than a Class 1a or Class 2 (sole occupancy) Building.

On an annual subscription service, across a 12-month subscription period we will ensure that the smoke alarms in the nominated property comply with the relevant QLD State legislation: Fire and Emergency Services (Domestic Smoke Alarms) Amendment Act 2016 (QLD).

At our first attendance of a property there will be an additional charge should we be required to replace, move, or install additional alarms for compliance. 

By enrolling your property with us, you authorise us to arrange access to the property through either your tenant (s) and / or property manager and attend as per our Standard Operating Procedure 

Standard Operating Procedure 

Our standard operating procedure for annual property subscription packages is as follows:
PLEASE NOTE: We MUST receive a workorder to attend any of your properties, we do not automatically attend properties due a smoke alarm compliance check.  

1. Workorder / email received requesting our service. This MUST include:
   1. Property address
   2. Tenant email (s) and phone number (s) if applicable
   3. Lease Renewal / New lease date if applicable
2. We schedule the work and if required, 48 hours before our attendance we issue an entry notice to the tenants or contact them directly to schedule an appointment.
3. If necessary, 24 hours before our scheduled appointment we will send a required key list to the agent.
4. On the evening before the scheduled day of attendance, we send an SMS to all tenants / owners reminding them of our attendance.
5. Our technician / electrician attends the property and services the smoke alarms, safety switch and blinds as per the property’s subscription package and leave a “We Called Card”.
6. A Compliance Report is sent to the landlord / owner or agent within 24 hours. If required a 2022 Upgrade Quote is also sent with the Compliance Report.
7. Any invoices will be sent to you within 48 hours and payment is required within 14 days

Access To Enrolled Properties 

In engaging our service, you authorise us and our team or representatives to collect keys and access the relevant property for purposes of servicing / installing smoke alarms or other property compliancy services.  We confirm that we will return these keys to the place of collection.  

We do not accept any responsibility for these keys prior to them being collected or following their return.

We confirm that all information relating to property keys remains confidential and is held in a secure system on our database in accordance with our privacy policy.

For problem alarms or urgent requirements, if the enrolled property is a rental property you authorise us to contact the tenant of the enrolled property to gain access.
We will only access and attend an enrolled property if no invoices are outstanding and we have received a work order.

Smoke Alarm Services

Our smoke alarm services are available as either an annual subscription or as a one-off service.

At each service we will:

1. Clean and test each individual alarm and ensure it is in working order
2. Test the interconnectivity of all alarms as per Building fire safety regulations
3. Replace or repair any faulty, expired, damaged or missing smoke alarms if required for Smoke Alarm Compliance – such replacements or repairs may incur additional costs. Subscriptions do not include replacing smoke alarms (unless under warranty) or moving them for any reason. An additional charge will occur if an alarm needs to be moved to make property compliant. If alarms are missing or broken at the time of inspection, then a cost for replacement alarm will be charged. If re-attendance to a property is required to rectify missing or broken alarms a call-out fee will apply plus the cost of the replacement alarms.
4. Where Coast Smoke Alarms cannot complete the warranty work the property manager / landlord may need to refer to original installer or Coast Smoke Alarms can replace these alarms for an additional cost

Smoke Alarm Controllers

Unless a request for a specific position is made by the landlord, the controller will be fitted in a position deemed most suitable by our electrician.

Smoke alarm controllers are not included in our smoke alarm service. CSA will not change the batteries on a controller, nor will we have any responsibility to replace a controller that has been lost or damaged after the installation. 

The installation of a smoke alarm controller is mandatory for Emerald Alarm Installations.

Smoke Alarm Quality

All smoke alarms installed by us will:

1. Comply with the AS 3786:2014 Standard

Alarms Not Required for Compliance

If an installed smoke alarm is not required for compliance 

1. We will not (and you release us from all liability) service and maintain the smoke alarm.
2. We may, if required under Smoke Alarm Laws, remove the smoke alarm and notify you of its removal.
3. You authorise us to uninstall and remove any smoke alarm in the enrolled property that is no longer required for compliance with smoke alarm laws.  You acknowledge that this removal may cause residual or superficial damage from either the original installation such as paint discolouration, removal of plaster, screw holes. If possible we will place a cover plate.

 Smoke Alarm Compliance Report

As part of our service, we will provide a Smoke Alarm Compliance Report after each inspection.  This report records the brand, age, location, and number of alarms at the property and allows an owner to keep track of smoke alarm maintenance in their property

If the smoke alarms in a property do not meet compliance standards we will:

• Notify you or your agent
• Rectify the non-compliant smoke alarm at the time of the inspection if we have the necessary authorisation

OR

• Arrange a time to return to the property to rectify the fault

Any work carried out by an electrician will carry our electrical contractor licence number on the compliance report certifying that any electrical work undertaken meets with legislative requirements.

A smoke alarm compliance report is not a building certificate and cannot be used as such.  These reports are based on our opinion and experience and knowledge of the smoke alarm legislation.  It does not constitute legal advice.

One-Off Services

These services are a single inspection of a property to ensure the smoke alarms meet the required legislation or an upgrade of the smoke alarms at the property.  One-Off indicates that the property DOES NOT have an annual subscription with us.

This service is a one-off charge with additional costs as detailed in the pricing schedule.

• Homeowner Safety Check – No Annual Subscription
• Sellers Compliance Check
• Sellers Upgrade
• Homeowner Upgrade – No Annual Subscription
• Rental Property Upgrade – No Annual Subscription

After-care Package for Upgrade Services

Our after-care packages vary according to the brand of alarm installed: Emerald Alarms: 1 month;  Cavius: 3 months;  Clipsal: 3 months

After-care packages include attending any beeping or problem alarms for free. Smoke alarm controllers are not included in after-care or smoke alarm services. CSA will not change the batteries on a controller, nor will we have any responsibility to replace a controller that has been lost or damaged after the installation.

After this period, the property owner must take out an annual subscription with CSA OR contact the manufacturer directly to arrange a replacement through warranty.

 QLD Smoke Alarm Upgrades

We provide the service to upgrade your property to meet the QLD State legislation: Fire and Emergency Services (Domestic Smoke Alarms) Amendment Act 2016 (QLD). 

• Properties for Sale
• Rental Properties
• Owner Occupied Properties as requested
• Holiday Let properties as requested

 Annual Subscription Properties upgraded to 2022 Legislation by a Third-party Provider

• Excessive problem alarms:  faults with smoke alarms installed by a 3rd party provider that result in excess of two call outs within a 12 month period.
  • We may refuse to service the enrolled property if the property is fitted with poor quality alarms or multiple different brands of alarm within the same smoke alarm system resulting in excessive faults.
  • We may charge an additional call-out fee of $100.
• We do NOT replace damaged / faulty alarms that have been installed by a third-party provider to meet the new legislation without your prior approval. In this situation, faulty alarms will be left at the property for warranty purposes should you wish to contact the third-party installer or manufacturer for a replacement. If you require us to replace the alarm this may be chargeable, cost is dependent upon warranty status and the alarm brand, please see our pricing schedule.
  Alarms damaged by tenants or 3rd parties are not covered under warranty.
• Visits to rectify problem alarms upgraded by a third-party may incur additional costs if we need to replace alarms.
• If we are asked to inspect the work of another contractor, outside of our normal inspections, to confirm the property is 2022 compliant there will be a charge of $100.

Annual Subscription Invoicing

The Annual Subscription Service commences on the date of the first inspection, OR when the workorder is received, of the nominated property  and is renewed annually. These terms of service are repeated and apply.

Enrolling a New Property onto an Annual Subscription Package

A property will be placed on a Smoke Alarms Only package unless you advise us to add corded blind checks for an additional cost.
You must request mechanical safety switch testing or the safety switch will be sighted only.

Competitor Take-over Service

Should you wish to transfer to our services from those of a competitor, you have the following options:

1. Give notice to immediately terminate services to your current service provider. Inform them in writing to stop invoicing you for annual plan renewals with immediate effect as you are moving to a new provider. 
2. Ask your current provider for a list of your current properties with the following information:
   • Last inspection date
   • Annual Subscription renewal date
   • Annual Subscription Package
   • 2022 Compliance Status
3. Send this list to CSA in an excel file to be uploaded into our system
4. From an agreed date begin sending your work orders to us..

We will honour the current annual subscription of each property free of charge until their annual renewal date.  This means that if Property A paid for their annual plan in Feb 2023 their annual renewal payment will be invoiced by us in Feb 2024, with the in-between months servicing covered by us free of charge.

Smoke Alarm Quality

Smoke alarms installed and/or serviced by us are certified as being compliant in accordance with the legislation regulating the inspection and maintenance of smoke alarms in Queensland: All alarms meet AS 3786:2014. All our services are carried out by our qualified electricians and / or our trained technicians.  We only install quality smoke alarms from our preferred suppliers.

Smoke Alarm Warranty

We offer a standard 5-year smoke alarm warranty on Clipsal smoke alarms, a 10-year warranty on Cavius smoke alarms, 5-year warranty on Brooks alarms and a 7-year warranty on Emerald Alarms for alarms installed by us and enrolled in our Annual Subscription Packages.  This warranty does not cover deliberate damage caused by tenants or if the alarm has been removed or is missing since our last service.  In these circumstances, replacement of these alarms will not be covered under our standard warranty and a replacement charge will be forwarded to you to pass onto the tenant for payment.

If a property is no longer under an annual plan with us but we installed the smoke alarms, we will attend problem alarms and replace any alarms still under warranty.  This service has a call-out fee of $169 if required to attend within 24 hours or $99 if outside of this period.   Any replacement alarms not covered by warranty terms will be chargeable.  Alternatively, please contact the manufacturer directly to arrange a replacement under warranty.

We do NOT replace damaged /  faulty alarms that have been installed by a third-party provider to meet the new legislation without your prior approval.  In this situation, faulty alarms will be left at the property for warranty purposes should you wish to contact the third-party installer or manufacturer for a replacement. If you require us to replace the alarm this may be chargeable, cost is dependent upon the alarm brand, please see our pricing schedule. Alarms damaged by tenants or 3rd parties are not covered under warranty.

No legal liability is incurred or accepted during the period between determining that a smoke alarm is defective and replacing the smoke alarm.  We have no duty of responsibility to take steps other than to notify you that the smoke alarm is faulty thereby enabling you to take the appropriate steps required to replace the defective smoke alarm.

Ceiling Height

Current OH&S Standards require that our technicians do not work alone or without extra safety equipment on smoke alarms positioned on ceilings higher than 3m.  We may need to provide such properties with a separate quote.

Fire Panels

We will not service properties with smoke alarms connected to a Fire Panel that is managed or connected to the fire service.

Relocation / Removal / Replacement of Smoke Alarms

The position of each smoke alarm is governed by regulatory requirements.  It may therefore be necessary for our technician/electrician to relocate a smoke alarm.  Our technician will repair any damage as best they can but please note that damage left by a previous installer can be as varied as a cable hole to screw holes.  There is also likely to be paint discolouration where the alarm has covered the paintwork.  We take no responsibility, nor do we have any obligation to make good any reasonable damage caused by the removal, relocation, or installation of smoke alarms such as any plastering / painting required to restore the ceiling to its original condition.  

We do NOT replace faulty alarms that have been installed by a third-party provider to meet the new legislation without your prior approval.  In this situation, faulty alarms will be left at the property for warranty purposes should you wish to contact the third-party installer or manufacturer for a replacement. If you require us to replace the alarm this may be chargeable, cost is dependent upon the alarm brand, please see our pricing schedule.

No legal liability is incurred or accepted during the period between determining that a smoke alarm is defective and replacing the smoke alarm.  We have no duty of responsibility to take steps other than to notify you that the smoke alarm is faulty thereby enabling the appropriate steps to be taken to replace the defective smoke alarm.

No liability is incurred during the period that a smoke alarm is found to be defective, and its replacement should we be required to obtain an owner’s consent for this work to take place. 

Should we be required to remove a smoke alarm, we will either:

• If removed as not required for compliance, we will leave the base plate in situ should removing it be deemed likely to cause superficial damage to the ceiling or leave a hole in the ceiling.
• If we are replacing the alarm in the same position, we will endeavour to cover the existing screw holes or we will fill and smooth any remaining screw holes

Installation of a 9v Temporary Alarm (Owner-occupied properties/ Holiday Lets)

If an owner’s permission to replace an existing alarm cannot be obtained and it is necessary for us to install a temporary 9v smoke alarm to meet smoke alarm regulations and ensure the property is complaint, this will incur an additional charge.

 Call out Charges / Reattendance Fee

Should we attend a property not on a current annual subscription plan, we will charge a call out fee plus the cost of any required alarms as per our current pricing schedule. This includes call-outs to problem alarms 

Should we need to reattend a property at no fault of our own we will charge a re-attendance fee.

If we are asked to confirm a property meets legislative requirements after a 3^rd part upgrade we will charge a call-out fee.

Compliance Report

We will complete and send compliance reports after attending a property within 24 hours. 

Corded Blinds

Corded blind compliance is only offered as part of a smoke alarm service package at an additional cost.  Where you have subscribed to our blind cord compliance service, we will attend the enrolled property and inspect the corded blinds for compliance with the blind compliance laws. Corded blind compliance will be noted on your compliance certificate.

Corded blind compliance checks ensure compliance with the Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard – Corded Internal Window Coverings) Regulations 2010 and the Competition and Consumer Corded Internal Window Coverings Safety Standard 2014. Our technician will make certain that compliant and working tensioning devices are fitted to all corded blinds, including cord guides, cleats and warning labels.

The installation of these devices ensures the occupant(s) have the necessary devices to tie off the blind cord and meet the required safety standard.  We do not accept any liability for damage, injury or death caused by the failure of the occupants to use these devices, remove these devices or incorrectly use these devices.

We cover a maximum of 10 blinds per property after which there is a charge of $5 per blind capped at $50 extra charge

If it is found that warning labels / cleats are missing or have been removed by tenants between our inspections, we will attend to replace these items at a call out fee of $99 and replacement labels/cleats will be charged at $5 per label.

Cords that are too tangled to be fixed will be left with a warning tag, but it is the responsibility of the agent to arrange for the cords to be untangled.

If we are required to install cleats or warning labels, you agree for us to screw into wooden frames and/or concrete walls to ensure the blinds/windows are compliant and secure.

We will NOT screw into tiles.

We do not replace or repair corded blinds.

Occupier’s Obligations

The devices fitted to meet the Blind Compliance Laws ensure the occupant(s) of the property can tie off the corded blind to meet the safety standard required. We are not liable for:

1. failure by the occupants of the enrolled property to tie off the corded blinds in accordance with the Blind Compliance Laws.
2. The incorrect or improper use or damage of the cord, fitted devices or the corded blind by the occupants, you or any third party.

 Safety Switch Testing Service

This service is only available as part of a Smoke Alarm Annual Subscription.  Safety switch sighting is automatically included at the time of your scheduled smoke alarm inspection.  A safety switch function test is only carried out if requested by you in writing and / or in a work order. We do not check the time it takes for a safety switch to turn off the power nor do we determine which electrical appliances or lights are protected by the safety switch.

Should a safety switch fail we will notify you that the safety switch is faulty.  It is your responsibility to arrange for our electrician to repair / replace or make your own arrangements to ensure the safety switch is repaired or replaced..

When testing a safety switch, we will make any individuals at the property aware that electrical devices will be temporarily disrupted.

Entry notices issued to tenants will ensure tenants are aware that a safety switch test will be taking place alongside a smoke alarm inspection. It is you or your tenant’s responsibility to ensure electrical equipment is switched off prior to our attendance.

We do not accept any liability for loss or damages incurred during Safety Switch Testing.

Invoicing and Payment terms

Invoices are payable within 30 days of issue. Failure to pay an invoice may result in a suspension of our services to you and your work orders may be placed on hold until payment is received.

If an invoice is unpaid for more than 30 days after date of issue we may

• cease providing products or services;
• charge interest on unpaid amounts and a late payment fee of $50;

Should an invoice not be paid for over 60 days despite 2 or more attempts from us to receive payment we will charge a late payment fee of $50 and engage debt collection services whose fees will be added to your debt; we may also take the matter to court.

Suspension of Services

We may place a work order on hold if:

1. The enrolled property has overdue unpaid invoices
2. An uncompliant property has not been rectified and we are requested to attend for a New Lease / Lease Renewal/ Annual Check.

Cancellation of Our Services

You can cancel your annual subscription at any time. Services will continue until the end of your billing period unless we are advised otherwise.  To the extent permitted by law, payments are non-refundable, and we do not refund partial periods.

In using our service, you undertake that:

• You have agreed to these terms and conditions.
• You have obtained the consent of the owner of each nominated property for us to provide our service to that property.
• It is your responsibility to pay us directly for the subscription services for each nominated property and you have made the appropriate arrangements with the owner of said property.
• You will provide us with a Work Order to service the property on the event of the following: lease renewal, new lease, annual service, and problem alarm.

Intellectual Property Rights

• The copyright to all content on this website including images, text and pdf flyers belongs to us. Your access to our website does not licence you to use any of our material for commercial means without our prior written permission.