Battery vs hardwired: what inspectors actually cite

Missing, damaged, or non-functioning smoke alarms are life-threatening under NSPIRE — the heaviest class there is. What gets cited in the real world: dead batteries, alarms past their expiration date, missing units in a bedroom, or alarms painted over. Tell us what your inspectors test (button only, or more) and how you keep dates tracked across hundreds of units.

Dates are the quiet killer in this category: the alarm on the wall can chirp-test perfectly and still be past its expiration date, and that date is printed small enough that nobody reads it without a ladder and a reason. The properties that stay ahead of it track dates the way they track certificates — a list, a schedule, replacements planned instead of discovered. How do you track alarm expiration dates across all your units — spreadsheet, a ladder-and-list walk, or software — and what do your inspectors actually test?