Fire Safety Tips for Rental Properties You Need to Know

Commercial and residential fires can be a serious threat to property and life security. Fires in rental properties put more lives in danger, and if you are a tenant or a landlord, knowing fire safety tips can help.

The tips we have listed in this article educate readers on what to keep in mind to ensure better fire safety for their apartments. These tips extend further from fire extinguisher servicing and ensure long-term safety for residents.

Fire Safety Tips for Rental Properties You Need to Know

Fire safety tips can help rental property owners prevent fires in the first place, ensure higher rental property safety, and more—let’s discuss:

1. Know Potential Fire Hazards

The best way to prevent fires in your rental properties is to know the potential hazards of fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the following are the top hazards that property owners and residents should stay clear from:

• Smoking
• Heating
• Electrical
• Cooking
• Candles

Taking better care of these in-house elements ensures you don’t face a commercial property fire anytime.

2. Take Steps against Indoor Smoking

Smoking is the top reason for residential fire deaths in the U.S., so landlords must take strict action against smoking inside rental properties.

For example, the landlords may enter a clause in the lease agreement stopping the tenants from smoking on the property.

 It might seem too harsh, but it’s best not to compromise on Chicago fire safety. Since this clause might prevent some renters, it’s best to provide a designated smoking area in the apartment building.

3. Add Smoke Detectors to the Building

Smoke detectors are a great way to sense rental property fires before they become too serious. Certain legal requirements may exist for Chicago residents who want to install smoke detectors, but you can find that information later. The tenants should move out of the building as soon as the smoke alarm goes off.

You can also install the smoke alarm in a way that if one alarm goes off, the rest of them alert residents to get out as well. This way, no one gets left out in the rental property.

4. Install Fire Extinguishers

Fire extinguishers are necessary for fire safety in Chicago, as they are the quickest way to stop fire hazards. As per law, there should be fire extinguishers on every floor of an apartment if it’s three floors or more and spreads over 3,000 sq. ft of space. You can also add fire extinguishers servicing every six months to ensure they are fully functional.

5. Check the Regulation for each City

Every city has fire safety regulations that property owners must follow. Learn these regulations for the city, and ensure you abide by them for higher rental property safety.

6. Create an Evacuation Plan

No matter how well you protect your rental property against fire, you should have an evacuation plan. The plans may vary based on the building designs, residents, etc. However, every building should have one for safe resident exit in the time of need.

Bottom Line

Fire safety tips on a rental property can prevent fire instances and property damage. We recommend following the tips we’ve listed. It will help protect you against possible fire instances. However, if you’re looking for information, our professionals at Connected Fire would love to assist you.