A yearly home check for smoke alarms, cords and locks

A yearly home safety check should leave you with a dated record of what you checked, what needs attention and who will follow it up. Walk through each room looking at smoke alarm records, electrical and blind cords, and door and window locks, then book the work you cannot resolve yourself.

The yearly appointment is a chance to organise the whole list. Some tasks belong on a much shorter schedule: Fire and Rescue NSW recommends monthly smoke alarm testing and vacuuming dust from alarms every six months. Keep those reminders running between annual checks.

Set up one record before you start

Choose a month you can remember and put a repeating appointment in the household calendar. It need not coincide with spring cleaning or a particular public holiday. If the house is busy, split the walkthrough across rooms and keep the same list open until you finish.

Use a sheet of paper, a shared note or a simple spreadsheet. Give each item these fields:

• Room and exact location.
• What you observed or which record you checked.
• Date checked.
• Next action and the person responsible.
• Follow-up date and completion evidence.

Write “not checked” where access or information is missing. An empty box is too easy to mistake for a completed job later. If another adult handles the maintenance, ask them to add their records rather than assuming the work has happened.

Keep the annual appointment alongside your regular household cleaning schedule, but give maintenance its own list. A room can be clean while an outstanding repair remains unresolved.

Check the smoke alarm records

Make a list of the alarms by location so your notes distinguish the hallway alarm from the one near a bedroom. Gather any available manuals, service records and previous replacement paperwork. Record what is known and flag missing information for follow-up.

• Is a monthly test reminder already in the calendar?
• Is the cleaning reminder current?
• Do you have a recorded replacement date or a request to confirm it?
• Is any previously reported fault still waiting for attention?

Use the manufacturer’s instructions and your local fire service’s guidance for the actual maintenance. Arrange help if an alarm cannot be reached safely. The annual record is not a reason to dismantle an alarm or investigate wiring.

For questions about requirements, use the separate guide to smoke alarm rules in Australia and check the current advice from your state or territory authority. Keep that requirements check distinct from ticking off this year’s paperwork.

Look at both kinds of cord

Give electrical cords and window-covering cords separate lines. “Cords checked” is too vague to tell the next person what you looked at.

For electrical equipment, record visible concerns such as a damaged lead or a power board plugged into another board. The South Australian Government advises using undamaged boards and cords, keeping boards ventilated and avoiding connections from one board to another. Refer damaged equipment for qualified attention; do not turn the walkthrough into a repair session.

Include the study, bedside charging areas and any spare room that has become a workspace. Note the exact appliance or location, rather than writing “sort out cables”. A useful entry might read: “Study desk: ask an electrician about permanent outlet options.” That is a proposed job, not a diagnosis.

For blinds and curtains, the ACCC advises checking all window furnishings, keeping cords out of children’s reach and avoiding furniture near corded windows that children could climb. Look again where beds, chairs or shelving have moved since the last check. Ask the landlord or agent for help with rental cord concerns. Do not leave children alone in a room with unsecured blind cords, even briefly.

Record any concern immediately rather than leaving it for next year’s appointment. This checklist does not provide instructions for fitting or altering cord safety devices.

Review locks from the inside too

Walk through the doors and windows in your household’s escape plan. Record a missing key, an awkward lock or furniture obstructing an exit. Fire and Rescue NSW advises keeping exits clear, keys readily accessible and doors and windows able to open quickly when required.

Include security screen doors in the notes, so a working main-door lock does not stand in for checking the whole exit. Describe the problem for a locksmith or property manager without attempting to alter the mechanism.

Use the annual appointment to review the escape plan with the household. Fire and Rescue NSW recommends planning two ways out of each room, choosing an outside meeting place and considering anyone who needs assistance. Revisit who will help if household circumstances have changed, and practise the plan regularly rather than only discussing it once a year.

Give rental concerns a clear handover

If you rent, make each report specific enough that the agent can identify the item. Include the room, the concern, when you noticed it and a photograph where useful. Keep a copy of the message and the reply with your checklist.

For example, “Second bedroom: blind cord safety fitting appears loose; please arrange assessment” is more useful than “blinds need checking”. Do not describe an item as repaired merely because a request has been sent.

Our guide to reporting rental repairs explains the separate repair process. Check your local tenancy authority for responsibilities and urgent repair procedures. A calendar reminder is for chasing a request, not permission to postpone reporting a safety concern.

Finish with named jobs and shorter reminders

Before closing the note, read every unresolved line and assign it to someone. If you live alone, separate the jobs you will organise from those needing a tradesperson or property manager. Leave booking details beside the original observation so the history stays together.

Use clear stages such as “reported”, “appointment booked” and “completed”. Keep an invoice, service receipt or written response where one is supplied. If work is still outstanding, retain the follow-up date instead of moving it into next year’s list.

Put the next reminders somewhere everyone responsible will see them. A family command centre near the front door can hold the short task list, while manuals and correspondence stay in a folder. Start by creating the dated record and assigning the first unresolved job today.