A
you need fluorescent tonic John.
I guess a good mains system would have battery back-up to allow for that possibility. A lot of fires are caused by electrical faults.
As for changing batteries, it might make sense for the Pompiers to check that our smoke detectors are working when they come round selling calendars?
I expect mains supplied smoke detectors would recharge batteries in the units so that they are autonomous in the event of a power failure.
Hi Melissa, good point, I was wondering about that one. What happens if the alarm is mains power driven (ie via a livebox or other), and the fire starts at the main electrical distribution board. Be better to have a €20 unit and change the batteries regularly.
Will the insurers want to know if we have actually changed the batteries periodically too?
It might take 15 mins Doreen if you can Teleport to your customers
I thought you just P'd yourself
Not sure what happened there! I was trying to say that electricians in London (or plumbers) are now £60 per hour plus VAT. If your management firm organises it then you have to pay their fees plus VAT on top. With rented property things like boilers, washing machines, hobs etc are going wrong all the time . Some months I have had almost zero income from my investment. Tenants are always complaining about excessive rents but it's not always so straightforward.
I have 3 Co2 alarms just in case I can't find my G&T before it goes flat
A word of warning. If you think you would prefer alarms connected to the electricity rather than through a battery then in France you are required to have a completely separate fuse box/control box along side your one for general fuses and separate communication (broadband/tv) box and will need an electrician to do all the work, obviously.
P
Thanks for that Ian. That was what I was reading but I admit my understanding of written French is not so good at times and I was trying to focus on another issue so a bit distracted.
We have just been stung by a two year back dated "charges" bill that apparently they have the right to do?! even though we have paid charges for each month and the rent has gone up every year, which we paid. I have been informed they can backdate it all for up to three years but I can't find anything about it on the site at all. That will teach me to pay attention to one thing at a time.
I note that under the section below that maintenance and replacement is going to be the renters liability though so the agent was half right :/
Obligation de vérification
À partir du 8 mars 2015, la vérification de présence et du bon fonctionnement du détecteur sera faite au moment de la mise en location du logement lors de l'état des lieux d'entrée.
L'obligation d'entretien et de remplacement du détecteur appartient à l'occupant du logement.
I know guys. It's really frustrating because I could have installed the thing myself. I've also just been informed that there's been a leak in my attic window and that it may involve me making a claim through my insurance company. I guess that's the price I have to pay (literally!) for living in another country :-( I'm going over in March and i'm hoping to be able to find an honest 'handyman' that I can rely on to do minor works for me. Any suggestions where I could start my search???
Well it's like this -
You pay an hourly rate. Make an allowance for holidays and sickness. Include transport costs. Pay the TVA. Include the cost of materials. Depreciation on tools and equipment. Include time wasted on calls that don't result in a sale. Not forgetting administration costs. Add a small profit. And that's why a €7 smoke detector costs over €100 to install.
99 euros? Are they used gold plated screws? That's management companies for you.
It's probably a €10 job Doreen but it's a management company so there'd be €20 for fuel, €50 for an employee to come out and €19 administration charge, lol.
I think it's worth having them even without it being obligatory Roy. A carbon monoxide detector is a good idea as well, especially is you have gas appliances.
Thanks, Nick.
My Management Company contacted me just before Christmas about this for my apartment in Montpellier which I rent out. They offered to instal it for 99 euros. Not sure if that's a bit pricey but I went with it anyway as I'm not living there and wasn't able to compare prices, etc.
Helen
I've got 3 smoke alarms bought from amazon uk as i found them cheaper than the French shops and plus you can look up the reviews to find the best for you.
We got a pack of two "Lifebox" detectors in Weldom's sale recently for a bargain price, dinky little things, light enough to be screwed directly onto plasterboard and guaranteed five years.
This replaced a very expensive alarm I bought in UK with highly sophisticated batteries. When the batteries ran out I found I couldn't get hold of a replacement - the new ones take AAAs. And now I find I have to dispose of the thing with specialists and you can't send radioactive materials through the post. DON'T BUY detectors with an ionising chamber and a radioactive element. If you have one, you must replace it by the end of 2017. This is from the INRS site
En France, de l'ordre de 7 millions de détecteurs de fumées autonomes utilisent une chambre d'ionisation (détecteurs ioniques) dans laquelle l'air est ionisé par les particules chargées émises par une petite source radioactive. Ces détecteurs ioniques contiennent donc des éléments radioactifs qui peuvent présenter un risque pour la santé en cas de mauvaises manipulations.
Ces appareils doivent être remplacés par des détecteurs (optiques ou thermiques) qui offrent les mêmes garanties d'efficacité et ceci avant le 31 décembre 2017.
Les entreprises détenant des DFCI ne doivent pas les manipuler, ni les déposer, ni les jeter aux déchets. Elles doivent faire appel, pour les déposer, à une société spécialisée, déclarée auprès de l'ASN (Autorité de sûreté nucléaire).