How often should a landlord test the smoke alarms in a rental, and who replaces the batteries?
Test every smoke alarm at each tenant turnover and at least once a year, and replace any alarm that is about ten years old. The NFPA recommends testing alarms once a month and replacing the alarms themselves after about 10 years, which a tenant can do for the monthly test but which you should verify in writing. Who changes the battery between inspections is usually set by state law and your lease, so check both.
A schedule you can run
| When | Action | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Every turnover | Test each alarm with the test button, replace batteries on battery models, check the date on the back | Owner or vendor |
| Monthly | Press the test button on each alarm | Tenant, per the lease |
| Once a year | Test every alarm during your annual visit and record the result | Owner or vendor |
| About every 10 years | Replace the alarm itself | Owner |
| When an alarm chirps | Fix right away | Whoever the lease and state law assign |
The NFPA advises checking alarms once a month, replacing batteries as needed and replacing the alarms after about 10 years. Alarms carry a manufacture date on the back, so you can check age without removing anything more than the alarm cover.
Who replaces the battery
Many states and leases make the landlord responsible for installing working alarms and for making sure they work at the start of a tenancy, and make the tenant responsible for replacing batteries during the tenancy and reporting problems. Some states or cities differ, and some require sealed ten-year battery alarms. Check your state's smoke alarm statute and see the rules summarized in smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules for rentals. This is general information, not legal advice.
Even where the tenant owns the battery, the landlord is better off checking during turns and inspections, because a dead alarm after a fire is a liability story nobody wants.
Steps for the turnover test
- Press and hold the test button until it sounds. A weak or no sound means replace the battery, then test again.
- Check the date on the back. If it is near ten years, replace the alarm.
- Confirm there is an alarm in each place your code requires, usually inside each bedroom, outside sleeping areas and on each level.
- Dust or vacuum the alarm cover.
- Write down the unit, the date, how many alarms you tested, and the result.
- Photograph the label if an alarm is replaced.
Example a made-up owner has 6 units with 5 alarms each, 30 alarms. At turnover on one unit, two alarms fail to sound, and one has a manufacture date 11 years back. The owner replaces all three, pays a made-up $14 each for the plug-in model, $42 total, and records "5 of 5 tested, 3 replaced" with the date.
Why the record matters
If a tenant claims an alarm never worked, a dated test log with photos is your strongest evidence. If an insurer asks what you did to maintain the building, the same log answers. Keep one line per unit per test.
Know which kind of alarm you have
- Battery-only alarms need a fresh battery on your schedule and a replacement of the whole alarm at the end of its life.
- Hardwired alarms with a backup battery run on house power and need the backup battery replaced; they are usually interconnected, so one sounds all.
- Sealed ten-year battery alarms have a battery that cannot be replaced; the whole unit goes at the end of its life.
- Combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms have their own expiration date, which is often shorter for the carbon monoxide sensor, so read the label.
Write the type of each alarm in the unit's record. A unit with mixed types is where an alarm usually gets missed.
How DoorKeeping handles it
Ask your Claude or ChatGPT, connected to DoorKeeping, to open a work order, send the vendor a job link and read the bill when it arrives. Keep each test record with the unit's documents and use a work order when an alarm needs replacing. Anything that involves money or a legal step waits for your one-tap approval, and DoorKeeping costs $2 per unit per month with every feature included.
Sources
- NFPA, Smoke alarms, read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- Can a landlord make a tenant pay for smoke alarm batteries?
- In many states the lease may assign battery replacement to the tenant, but check state law. This is general information, not legal advice.
- What if a tenant removes the alarm?
- Put it in writing that removing an alarm violates the lease and the law in many places, reinstall it, and document the date.
- Do ten-year alarms save work?
- They remove battery swaps, but you still test them regularly and replace the whole alarm after its listed life.