Smoke Detectors & CO Alarms

[Kelly Voicheck]

As an owner of a complex our lease has a clause that states all residents are to change the batteries in their smoke alarms once a year.  However, someone told me that we (the management) was responsible for providing batteries and checking the working order of alarms once a year.  Is that correct?

[Leonard Rosenberg]

I have not come across a statute that mandates owner responsibility to maintain the alarms, though it is the owner's responsibility to provide them.  I've received conflicting information from the local fire department vs. the DCA inspector.  DCA says the tenant must maintain the batteries, the fire department tells me the owner must.  In either case, if you receive a violation from any inspector, it becomes your problem.  Good business practice says you, as the owner, should maintain them.  It is also recommended that you test all detectors annully and keep written records of the results (unit #, battery replaced, detector replaced, etc.)