In reality, most Queensland households fall far short of these safety standards. Only about 1 in 10 homes test or clean their alarms regularly, and many keep alarms that are well past the 10-year expiry, with weakened or unreliable sensors. Around 2 in every 5 homes incorrectly replace a hardwired alarm with a battery unit during DIY upgrades — a practice that is unsafe, illegal, and leaves families under-protected. DIY installations also commonly place alarms in the wrong locations, use non-interconnected units, or rely on cheap retail models prone to false alarms.