Fire safety compliance strata/body corporate vs landlord responsibilities

Hello

Sorry if this is a stupid question.

I have four apartments in NSW; in Redfern, Liverpool, Newcastle and Roselands. They are managed by four different property managers and four different strata companies.

3 of the apartments have battery operated smoke alarms, one is hardwired.

I had signed up to Smoke Alarms Australia for three of the properties to be managed for fire safety compliance. Now I was about to sign up the fourth property to be managed as well and the property manager rang me to say that I am doubling up on the work that the strata do already. He said there is no reason to be paying for this extra maintenance.

So, I have asked one of my other agents whether I am doubling up as well and she emailed the strata company who said they get fire safety compliance certificates annually. I asked whether this means I am meeting my legal requirements and the property manager said there is no reason to hire the external company.

I then emailed the property manager of my Redfern property and she was quite certain that although strata do their fire safety compliance, they do not test the equipment in my apartment, this is not something the property manager can do because she does not have the proper equipment, and she recommended that I keep paying the external company to make sure I am compliant.

I have no idea what I am supposed to do. I am more than happy to keep paying the external company for the four apartments if I have to, but not if I am already meeting my legal (and ethical) obligations to my tenants and other residents of the block.

I do think it’s wise to be safe, but I am concerned of wasting money for no reason. I doubt whether strata would be checking my alarms on change of tenancy, which makes me wonder whether half of my property managers don’t know the laws, or are smoke alarm companies misleading me about my requirements?

If my property managers advise me that I am legally compliant and I am found NOT to be, are they culpable for giving me the wrong information?

Sometimes I wonder what is the point of a property manager if I have to double check everything. Some managers recommend landlord’s insurance and smoke alarm maintenance as soon as they sign me up, the others kind of assume I am on top of it. I honestly just wish I could trust that they are managing everything.

What is required by me as a landlord and what responsibility does my property manager have to ensure that I am compliant?

Why would property managers advise me in different ways on the matter? Do ALL apartment landlords need to hire these external companies or are some apartments body corporate/strata managing it comprehensively enough to be totally compliant?

This is extremely confusing, but its $400 per year right now that I just don’t want to spend on something I don’t need to.

What questions should I be asking of Strata/my property manager to ensure they are doing enough, to ensure that I am doing the right thing?

thank you

nobz