Preventing Fire on Your Rental Property

Preventing fire on your rental property is difficult, especially with a diverse range of tenants and the unpredictability in all of them. The National Fire Protection Agency reported that fires take an average of 500 lives annually and cost more than $1 billion in property damage. While carrying rental property insurance is one way to address this risk, limiting your action plan to what happens after a fire is not enough.

Top Prevention Tips

The top prevention techniques should help avert incidents. Here are some ways for each rental property to go on the offensive against home fires.

Comply With Local Fire Codes

Anytime you build or develop a property, there will be fire codes and ordinances that tenants must obey. These are put in place the keep residents safe, but following these codes can also prevent you from paying steep fines or losing essential insurance coverage. A simple rule is the installation of smoke detectors, but how many tenants need in each unit varies by municipality.

Develop Fire Prevention Rules

Even though you may not be in each residence to evaluate compliance, setting fire safety rules in place can help reduce the risk of accidental fires. These are general tips and can include:

• No smoking indoors
• No space heaters
• No grilling or fire pits on balconies

Provide Residents With Fire Extinguishers

Rather than trust your tenants to purchase fire extinguishers, provide them in and around the property. Also, you can have your maintenance personnel inspect the extinguishers monthly to ensure they are working or have not been tampered with, and you will need to replace them every 10 to 12 years.

Implement Regular Safety Inspections

Include regular fire safety checks in your rental contract. Though you may assume your tenants comply with your safety rules, you must follow up with residents as a part of your rental property fire prevention plan. Test smoke detectors to ensure they work, and look for frayed electrical cords or signs of grease or other fire hazard buildup near kitchen exhaust vents.

Have an Escape Plan

Each tenant should know the fastest way to escape in the event of a fire. 

Landlords should post these in each unit and shared spaces. Include tips like staying low to the ground, testing doors with the back of your hand, or opening them using a towel to avoid burns.

Require Insurance

Although you may carry rental property insurance, you can require tenants to purchase supplemental coverage. It can help them recover the costs of replacing their belongings in the event of a fire.

General fire prevention efforts will go a long way in keeping your tenants and property safe. Check with your local fire department for additional ideas and recommendations.

About Byrnes Agency

At Byrnes Agency, we offer insurance solutions that can be tailored to meet your specific needs. Whether you’re looking for personal policies or commercial coverage, we have the right coverage for you. To learn more about our products, contact us today at one of our two locations.

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