Fire Safety, Landlord and Tenant Responsibilities

October 6-12, 2024, is Fire Prevention Week.  Since we have many firefighters in our family who are constantly reminding us of what we need to be on top of regarding fire safety in our rental properties, we thought we would do a shorty episode to go over fire safety tips.

In this episode, we are focusing on who is responsible for what tasks.  So, we are discussing all the fire safety responsibilities that the landlord must take care of and then jumping over to the other side and discussing what the tenants must handle.

And newsflash, even if the tenant has some responsibility in making sure your rentals remain safe, it is up to you to manage that they are following through and doing those tasks. We are also including what landlords need to do to mitigate the risks of tenants not following through.  

As this episode runs much shorter than our usual episodes, I hope you can make the time check this important episode out.

LINKS

👉 Episode 29: Rental Property Fire Safety Essentials, Pt 1

👉Episode 24: Rental Property Fire Safety Essentials, Pt 2

👉 Second Story+ Kidde Fire Escape Ladder

👉 First Alert Rechargeable Standard Home Fire Extinguisher, recommended one on each level of your property.

👉 Kidde Smoke Detector, Battery Powered with LED Lights, Interconnects with Other Kidde Smoke Alarms 

👉 Kidde Plug in CO2 Detector

👉 “Pet’s in the Home” Safety Stickers for Fire & Police

👉 Your Landlord Resource: Single Family Home Complete Inspection Checklist $9.99

👉 Course Waitlist: From Marketing to Move In, Place Your Ideal Tenant
👉 Text Us a Question! Two ways: SMS text to 650-489-4447. OR

One way text only, you need to include your email for a response.

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Transcript

Stacie: 0:00

Now, I know it seems like we harp on you guys about inspections, but there's a reason. Inspections are your opportunity to get into your unit and make sure there are no lease violations. Like evidence of smoking, blocked fire exits, overloaded electrical outlets, and to check on the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they're in place and working properly. And you guys, we cannot tell you how many times we have gone into our units and found the smoke detectors removed and the batteries not in them.

0:37

Welcome to your landlord resource podcast many moons ago. When I started as a landlord, I was as green as it gets. I may have had my real estate license, but I lack confidence in the hands on experience needed when it came to dealing with tenants, leases, maintenance, and bookkeeping. After many failed attempts, fast forward to today. Kevin and I have doubled our doors and created an organized, professionally operated rental property business. Want to go from overwhelmed to confident? If you're an ambitious landlord or maybe one in the making, join us as we provide strategies and teach actionable steps to help you reach your goals and the lifestyle you desire. All while building a streamlined and profitable rental property business. This is Your Landlord Resource podcast.

Stacie: 1:26

Well, hello there, landlords, and thank you for joining us today. You are listening to the Your Landlord Resource Podcast, where we take time each week to discuss tips around owning and operating residential rental properties. From how to episodes to inspirational ones, we want you to know that we're here to help you on your journey as a landlord. And I know some people don't like to refer to themselves as a quote unquote landlord, like I'm the lord of the land, but that connotation is very old school and for the most part, it is the primary way an owner of a property who rents it out to tenants is referred to as. I know a lot of people don't like to use the term tenants either, and some will refer to them as residents, and that's a very nice way to refer to someone living in your unit. We kind of feel like that's a word to describe someone living in a community where they're cared for, almost like a senior citizen. So we still use the term tenants. You can call yourselves and those who live in units, whatever you want, but for simplicity purposes, we are landlords and we have tenants living in our rental properties. And oh, by the way, my name is Stacie. I'm your host and I'm here with my co host, Kevin.

Kevin: 2:41

I thought you forgot about me for a while.

Stacie: 2:43

I'm kind of going off on a tangent there. Sorry.

Kevin: 2:48

Hey there, landlords. And yeah, what Stacie just mentioned, I mean, bottom line, Stacie and I have owned and managed rentals for 19 years. We're investors who manage our own rentals. We are also Realtors and we are property managers, so we do know a thing or two about rental properties and how to legally operate them. I mean, certainly not everything, you know, we do know quite a bit. And there are a lot of changes in the verbiage surrounding real estate and property management, especially here in California. But thankfully we can still refer to ourselves as landlords and those who live in our units as tenants. But, we will adapt if we have to. I mean, like when we refer to the biggest bedroom of a property that might have its own bathroom, primary bedroom now just rolls off our tongue, and we're not doing the old master or I, I mean, primary bedroom or bath jumble, like we did a couple of years ago.

Stacie: 3:44

Right. I mean, change is not fun unless it really benefits us, right? Like I'll take the change in lowering interest rates or the change of increasing rents for sure. And some change is for the better, like changing your procedures or how you handle something. And this week on the podcast, we want to talk about your operational procedures on proactive prevention and fire safety tips for your rental properties. Now, each year, sometime during the first week of October, it is National Fire Prevention Week. So, we thought that this would be a good time for us to go over what you, as a landlord, are responsible for, as well as what the tenant is responsible for when it comes to fire safety. And we hope that many of you already have implemented these practices, but just in case you need a little encouragement, just keep on listening. And just so you know, this will be a rather short episode where we are going to reiterate tips that we have already discussed in detailed during previous episodes. So let's get to it. Now, the bad news is that every year there are fires that cause injuries, property damage, and tenant displacement in rental properties. The good news is that much of those fires are preventable. We just need to get all the landlords and the tenants to work together and communicate to reduce the risk of a fire happening in their rental units. Let's start with the obvious. Landlords it is your responsibility to ensure basic fire safety standards of your rentals. You must install working smoke detectors on every level with one in every bedroom. Carbon monoxide detectors need to be in all rooms where there is a gas or a fuel burning appliance like a stove or a heater. You must make sure that the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working at move in and then every single time that you set foot in that unit. Just give it a quick beep and that way you'll know it still works. And do yourself a favor note that date in your files, because if there is a fire the insurance company is going to ask when you check the device last. Next landlords are responsible for making sure that there are clean and unobstructed escape routes. Egress windows have to be able to open. Fire ladders should be placed in bedrooms located on the second story and above. Like, uh, we have these ones that we use and we'll link them in the show notes for you. Secondary doors need to open easily and have a clear exit out of the building in case the primary entrance is not accessible. You're also responsible for fire safety education and disclosure. And this means that in your lease, and in a perfect world your unit binder, you have a suggested escape route. Your lease should include your policies or quote unquote rules regarding fire prone issues, such as smoking on the property. And you want to make sure that you are noting inside and outside rules. Overloading electrical outlets and using plug strips, blocking exits with such things as bikes or boxes. Grilling rules are another big one. Fireworks, burning candles, and storage of flammable items like propane tanks. And now those micro mobile devices that need to be charged, is a new issue that we landlords have to address. So those would include things like e bikes and scooters that have to be charged, skateboards, things like that. Because those devices need to be charged using a higher amperage plug and if it's not, that can cause your plug to overheat and catch fire. Fire extinguishers are another one. Now, for most single family homes, extinguishers are not required by law. I believe the suggested rental unit or home size for a regular size extinguisher is 3, 000 square feet. However, you can pick those up at any hardware store or any big box store. You can get them online. They're available everywhere and easily store at your rental in case of a fire. I mean you should ask yourself, why would you not do this? They are mandatory for five units and above with one on each level. We did discuss fire blankets in our previous fire safety episode, so go and give those a listen if you want to know more about using those. Small under the counter extinguishers in the kitchen or a nearby storage closet are a really good idea as well. We will go ahead and link the extinguishers that we recommend as well as those other podcast episodes and show notes for you. And lastly, you know we have to talk about it, inspections. Now, I know it seems like we harp on you guys about inspections, but there's a reason. Inspections are your opportunity to get into your unit and make sure there are no lease violations. Like evidence of smoking, blocked fire exits, overloaded electrical outlets, and to check on the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they're in place and working properly. And you guys, we cannot tell you how many times we have gone into our units and found the smoke detectors removed and the batteries not in them.

Kevin: 9:10

Yeah, seriously. And we still have a hard time when we see that. Now I will say our property in Sacramento, they are placed in the hall right around the corner from the kitchen. So, they are prone to go off if somebody burns something while cooking. But still, this is no excuse. For us, that's a big red flag that the tenant doesn't understand their role in keeping the unit safe. The last thing I want to say about inspections is that where you should be going in at least every six months, if you have gas appliances, those should be checked as well. We have found a couple of times small gas leaks. So, we have our contractor in Sacramento as well as our contractor in Idaho walk through the units with us while we're doing our inspections. They are there to check the appliances as well as look for water leaks under all the sinks and behind the toilets and the windows as well. Just like we suggest that you change your water supply lines every five years or so to avoid them failing and flooding your unit. Every five years, have your contractor, or if you have to hire an electrician, evaluate and do electrical inspections. Now, let me talk about what the tenants are responsible for. And, even though they are responsible for these items, it is your responsibility to make sure they know that it is their responsibility to handle them. And how you control this is by what you disclose in your lease and make them sign off an agreement to. Now in our lease it says they are responsible for checking the smoke and carbon detectors once a month. Now, we don't have a system in place to remind them or have them log when they checked it, if there are any landlord software companies out there listening, hey, this would be a very cool thing to add for landlords and tenants that would benefit both of us. But if you were in there every six months, it's better than nothing, which more than likely is what your tenants are doing to check those detectors. We also address electrical safety. So we tell them they are responsible for not overloading the outlets. And this can be by using plug strips and having six to ten items plugged into one outlet. And yeah, it does happen, especially when someone has a home office space and needs to plug in a desk lamp, mobile device chargers, laptop chargers, printers, monitors, TVs, you know, it goes on and on. Kitchen countertop appliances are another big worry. You have crockpots, toaster ovens, portable dishwashers all pull high amperage and if left running for long periods of time can be a big fire hazard as well. As our space heaters and the portable AC units. Pets who chew on cords that expose wires is another issue. Cooking safety is addressed in our leases as well. Tenants are responsible for keeping the kitchen area safe. So that could include things like dish towels too close to a burner, deep frying foods, not cleaning grease buildup, and leaving food cooking unattended are all concerns we address and have tenants sign off that they will not do. Same goes with burning candles. I mean, it's getting to be the time of year when people start getting into the fall or winter moods by burning candles. And hey, that's great. They smell nice, create a good ambiance, but when they are left unattended, and then the tenant forgets and leaves them burning, that's when fires can happen. And the last thing tenants are responsible for is making sure they have an escape route that is clean and clear. A couple times we have done inspections to find bags of recycling piled against the back door or bikes or outdoor stuff like coolers and chairs that are blocking a secondary exit. You guys, tenants don't think about this stuff, so it's up to you to bring it to their attention and give them a warning. All of this should be documented, of course.

Stacie: 13:09

Oh, yeah, for sure. Each and every time you enter a unit and find any lease violations, you need to photograph it and send an email to the tenant along with a three day notice to cure, explaining what you found and what they need to do to remedy the issue and when it needs to be done by. You want to document, document, document, because if there is a fire and you find that the exit that they had to use blocked and you only gave them a verbal warning, and had nothing in writing, you'd feel awful about that person if they got injured trying to escape.

Kevin: 13:44

Or something worse, right? Like a teen who is living there and is counting on their adult to keep the unit safe. I mean, cover your butts, you guys, for legal purposes, but also for your own conscience.

Stacie: 13:56

Yeah, exactly. Now, we know that many of you own single family home rentals, and likely not as many of you have multifamily units. Multifamily rental properties usually do have more stringent regulations that owners need to follow, especially when it comes to fire safety. And a lot of the tips that we're giving, cover both these property types. But the biggest thing to know is that just because you have a single family home rental, it does not mean that you should not be as detailed with your lease or the rules of your property. You should treat your single family home with the same regulations as multifamily properties for a couple of reasons. One, often regulations that apply to commercial properties will eventually also include non commercial properties, which would be rental properties that range in one to four units. We have seen this with smoking, lead based paint, mold, and of course smoke detectors. Most all of those rules start off by only applying to rentals with five or more units and then of course something bad happens and then they open it up to include small properties. And the second reason is that you may scale and grow your portfolio to include these larger multifamily properties at some point. So we suggest you get yourself in the groove and include all the regulations that are health and safety related now, so that when you get to that point, all your documents, your standard operating procedures, and your mindset is all ready to go and you don't have to take a bunch of time to learn all the new regulations. Just remember that running four single family homes is much different than running one four unit building. You have four times the devastation should a fire hit the multifamily versus one single family home. So being proactive with your inspections and keeping your lease up to date is a huge part of owning multifamily rental properties.

Kevin: 15:56

Yeah. That's right. And the funny thing is that we started off with multifamily properties first, and to be honest, we actually prefer them much more over single family rentals any day. It forces us to be professional and consistent when managing our properties. Alright, one last thing I want to address, and this is regardless of where your properties are located or what size they are, and it's talking about a defensible space barrier. If you have any sort of trees or bushes on your rental property, it is of utmost importance to make sure you keep them trimmed and cleaned up. Now, obviously, this was more of an issue during summer and fall, but there are now zones that you should work to maintain so that your rental property remains safe in the event of a neighboring structural fire or a wildfire that happens. For Zone 1, the basic issue is that you should remove any dead vegetation, dry leaves, pine needles, etc. from the ground that are within 30 feet of your property, as well as clean the roof and gutters. You're going to want to mow down any tall grass as well. Trim back branches and trees that hang over the roof and keep branches 10 feet away from other trees. You also want to be mindful if you have decks where leaves can get blown under and weeds can grow. Wood piles are another hazard to be careful of. So check with your city about any ordinances regarding vegetation and wood piles. For one of our mountain homes, we had to either remove the wood pile from the porch, or drape it with one of those fire retardant covers so embers that come from fireplaces or a fire cannot fall down and then cause our deck and then the home to catch fire. Zone 2 has the same issues but goes out as far as 100 feet from the structure. Now, for this zone, there is more horizontal spacing that is an issue where you need to create vertical space between shrubs and trees. Or the foliage can create a quote unquote ladder for a fire to move from the ground to the brush up to the treetops. For a rental we had that has now been sold, it sat on several acres of land and that land was covered mostly with tall grass and trees. It was our responsibility twice a year to get out there and mow that grass down and keep up with the tree trimming so that if a fire did happen, the home would be in less danger than if we didn't do it. Essentially, the goal is to remove the fuel that can lead up to the rental and catch it on fire.

Stacie: 18:33

Yeah, and those rules are more for rural areas, but you do need to make sure any of your properties have the landscaping maintained. Fireworks are a big issue to consider as are grills. And hey, I think it's like 75 percent of fires begin inside the home, so have that be your main focus, but just don't sleep on the exterior perimeter either. Okay, that is it for the quick recap on fire safety. As we mentioned earlier, we will link the previous fire safety episodes in the show notes as well as all the fire safety products that we recommend and why we recommend them. We're also going to link our inspection checklist, which is one product that we sell. It's like 10 bucks. You can buy it once and use it over and over again for all your rental properties. We hope you enjoyed this episode and got at least one good tidbit of information out of it. If so would you do us a favor and leave us a kind review of the podcast so that other landlords can find us too? If you want to hear more, follow or subscribe to the podcast so that each week the episodes are downloaded right to your favorite podcast platform. And we'd love to stay in contact with you. In the show notes you can find links to all the free downloads that we offer, ways to sign up for our free weekly newsletter, and the wait list for our upcoming course on tenant screening. There's also links to our social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, where we share very informative and detailed tips and tricks for landlords, so check those out. I think that's about it. Thanks again, and until next time, you've got this, landlords.