Catching Fire: Winter Fire Prevention Tips Landlords Can’t Ignore
December 14, 2013
By Tracey March
Winter fires cause more than $2,000,000,000 (that’s 2 BILLION) in property losses every year. The loss of life is considerable—more than 900 people die in winter home fires. As a rental owner it’s important to know what the hazards are and to communicate that information to your tenants.
Fire prevention in general is important for any landlord or homeowner to address. In fact, I’ve written about fire prevention for landlords and property managers before. However, a fire is more likely to happen during the winter for three reasons: we heat our food more, we heat our homes more, and many of us decorate our houses with flammable materials and candles. That combination doesn’t have to end in tragedy.
Here is some important information to communicate to your tenants so you can reduce the likelihood that your rental property will catch fire.
Most fires start in the kitchen, often from food left unattended on the cook top.
Remind your tenants to:
- Never leave their stove unattended when they are using it.
- Keep their ovens and cooktops clean, as grease and other debris can ignite easily.
- Keep papers, plastic bags, and other materials at least 3 feet away from the stove.
I write this having watched a tea towel in my kitchen catch fire just last week. It happened quickly, and on one was fooling around or goofing off. Fortunately, we reacted quickly and the damage was limited to this:
Heaters are the second leading cause of winter home fires.
Remind your tenants that they should:
- Never put anything close to their heat sources.
- Avoid using extension cords on a portable heater.
- Always turn off portable heaters when leaving the rental home or going to bed.
- Always follower manufacturer instructions.
Winter home fires peak in December and January, during the holidays.
Remind your tenants that they should:
- Make sure their christmas trees are well watered and placed away from heat sources.
- Always turn off their christmas tree lights when they aren’t at home or when they go to bed.
- Avoid using real candles, instead opting for battery-operated candles.
- If candles must be used, NEVER leave them unattended if they are lit, place them in a stable location far away from anything that could catch fire, and always put them out when leaving the room or going to bed.
- NEVER deep-fry turkeys or other foods indoors, in a garage, or on a balcony or deck. Deep fried turkey is delicious, but do it away from any structures in an uncovered location.
Finally, there are some things that you as the rental owner should be doing at least once a year, and also before a new tenant moves in:
- Regularly inspect your rental property, have all of your heat sources checked, and change filters, check gas lines.
- Check smoke detectors and monoxide detectors to make sure they are working. Consider having your tenants sign an agreement that they will not disable or remove them.
- Make sure fire extinguishers are in working order and comply with state and local regulations.
- Now’s a good time to check that you have a rental owner’s insurance policy on your property. Also consider requiring your tenants to carry renter’s insurance.
Here’s another tip: FEMA has a holiday season fire prevention page that has some great downloadable fire safety posters you can send or email to your tenants.