Summer season is at its peak and barbecue and pool parties are being organized everywhere. It is the perfect time to talk about fire safety and how to keep your rental property and tenants safe and secure from fire accidents. You may have conducted your annual inspection but you cannot overlook dangers that can be caused by an accidental fire in your property. Here are some tips to enhance the safety of your property and tenant form the dangers of fires.
Defensible space
If you have a garden, dead or browning leaves can be a potential source of fire. Make sure that all dead and brown leaves are removed regularly form a diameter of 30 feet from your property. Cut all branches hanging over your property. Clean the roof and the gutters. Even living vegetation that is flammable poses a risk of fire. Prune or remove all foliage or shrubs near the windows and the furniture lying on the patio. Create a safe space between thick vegetation to not allow the fire to hop from one area to another. Check the permissible space between trees in your County and make sure you are following the rules to avoid the risk of an accidental fire.
Check smoke alarms for their proper functioning
It is not just wildfires during hot weather season that can be dangerous to your property and the inmates. Fire can also start from inside, especially during hot summer months. You must have fire alarms and smoke detectors placed in all strategic places inside your property. If you are a landlord or a property manager, it is your responsibility to be sure that these devices are working perfectly during the summer season. Although maintenance of these fire alarms and smoke detectors lies on the shoulders of your tenants, it does not hurt if you make it a point to check them out once in a while. Who knows if a tenant might forget to replace the old batteries of a smoke detector? In fact, some stubborn tenants purposely remove the batteries altogether. You will ensure safety of rental property and tenants by making sure they are all in a working condition. Also, find out the minimum numbers of these devices you are required to maintain by law in your property so that you are in compliance with the local fire safety rules.
Escape route during a fire
By having a planned escape route during a fire in your property, you can actually prevent any possible loss of life. There is so much of wooden and synthetic material being used in households these days that even a small fire can spread very quickly and turn into a massive fire. If you can provide a safe exit route to the tenants of your property in case of a fire, you can help in saving invaluable lives. In fact, an emergency escape route becomes all the more important in a multifamily apartment building where the elevators and the stairs can easily be engulfed in flames, leaving no escape route for your tenants. It is not sufficient to have a fire escape route in your property. You also need to inform each one of your tenants about the location of this route and how to access it in case of an emergency. You should also paste information about this fire escape route in front of each of the unit inside your property. Do not forget to give out phone numbers of important people from the administration on this sheet of paper.
Being prepared to face an emergency like a fire is always better than having no plan in place. Fires are very unpredictable min nature and you never know when tragedy may strike.
If you’d like to talk more about property management, or you need help with Everest Property Management, please contact us at Everest Realty.
Property Management Service Areas
Palm Coast Property Management
Flagler Beach Property Management
Ormond Beach Property Management
As a top producing Realtor and Property Manager; Terry specializes in sales, extensive construction homes, rentals, REO’s, short sales, and all aspects of Real Estate. After graduating the University of Michigan with a master in MBA, Terry continued his endeavor and now has over 15+ years of experience in the Real Estate world. If there is anything that has to do with Real Estate and sales, you can always be sure of Terry to provide important, specialized knowledge.
