Landlord Fire Safety Responsibilities

The walls and ceilings between apartments, and corridors and exit stairs need to be maintained in good condition. Holes from moving furniture, pet damage, and bad behaviour put everyone at risk should smoke and flame not be contained in the room of origin.

Regular inspection of these items is very important. Think of each unit as a box and where it touches other units, those areas need to be perfect to protect the tenants from each other.

These areas need to be kept to strict volumes of items and must limit flammable liquids, propane cylinders and other hazardous products. Avoid the temptation to fill them with spare mattresses, propane tanks of various sizes, gas cans and other hazardous items. Always make sure these areas are kept under control for volumes and accessibility.

If you provide laundry facilities, it is your responsibility to ensure that the dryer venting is inspected a minimum of yearly and all lint deposits are removed so that it doesn’t create a fire hazard. Smooth metal ductwork is preferred as it gives lint less surface area to accumulate on. Corrugated metal ducting seems easier to install but builds up lint much faster.

These should be checked every 6 months and replaced as needed. Regular maintenance on the dryer by an appliance service person will ensure proper working condition and save electricity as well. Related video: Clothes Dryer Safety Tips (Emergency Management Ontario)

More often than not, furnace rooms that contain service equipment get filled up with stuff. Furnaces, hot water tanks and laundry equipment need room to breathe. They need clean air to operate efficiently and when there is stuff packed tightly up against this equipment not only can it create fire hazards, the equipment has to work harder to operate, may overheat or wear out sooner, and takes more energy to operate. Ensure there is one meter of clear area around the service equipment so they can operate safely.

Today there are many more devices that require electricity. As a landlord, it is your responsibility to ensure that tenants are using electricity safely in their units.

• Extension cords are meant as temporary power sources and should not be used on a daily basis.
• Power bars in correct applications such as entertainment units or computer installations should be CSA approved devices.
• Ensure tenants are not using multipliers in kitchen or bedroom plugs as this draws more current than the electrical wiring was designed to carry and will cause heating and ultimately a fire in the electrical system.
• Air conditioners and heaters require a tremendous amount of power and should never utilize an extension cord and should have their own dedicated circuit that is rated for the current draw.

If you see these things, work with your tenant to provide proper electrical solutions and enlist a professional electrician.

Whether you have a fire alarm system, sprinkler system or individual smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, your tenants may knowingly or unknowingly tamper with these devices and in doing so put others and the property at risk.

Commonly, Fire Prevention Officers find alarms and detectors covered with bags or other materials to make them less sensitive to smoke (resulting from cooking, smoking cigarettes or other activities that give off smoke/fumes). Often people paint the alarm so that it appears to blend in with the décor. Some people use sprinklers for hanging decorations or extra clothing storage. Carbon monoxide alarms often get moved away from sleeping areas when tenants believe it should be near a furnace or they remove the batteries for various reasons.

Each of these behaviours puts the tenants at risk and the landlord in hot water when an occurrence happens. Check devices every time you are in the space to ensure they are operating as designed.

The importance of a log book for smoke and carbon monoxide maintenance is key. This notebook with dated entries, findings, resolutions and initialled by the tenant is your ongoing proof that you have done your due diligence in alarm maintenance.

If you go into the unit for a leaking pipe, test the alarms, make sure they work and log it. Anytime you are there, test them. A good tenant will tell you when they are malfunctioning, but some don’t even realize the device is there.

When in doubt it will give the tenant a place to go to see what they should do when something happens. Items to include:

• where the water shut off is
• where the electrical panel is located and how its labelled (make sure the electrical panel is labelled!)
• What type of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are installed in the residence. Include a copy of the owner’s manual for each type/style of device.
  
  It is the law to provide tenants with the operating instructions for the smoke and CO alarms and any fire extinguishers etc. that may be in the unit.
• What to do in the event of emergency
• Contact numbers for approved key holders or maintenance people
• If you have a fire alarm system in the building, include information on how it works and what the tenant's responsibility is when that operates (pull station usage, calling 911 to report and where to meet safely). 

Most of the fatal fires that occur in multi-tenant buildings are deaths in hallways and stairwells when other people are overcome by smoke and toxic fire gases while trying to escape. Hallways, corridors, stairwells and apartment doors have self closing devices on them. These devices ensure that in the event of an emergency the door will close behind the evacuating people and contain the smoke and toxic gases of a fire.

When doors are wedged open, or have items hung on the back of them, or seasonally appropriate decorations on them, this affects the self closer from operating as designed and puts all occupants at risk. In some violation cases the self closing device itself has been disabled.

When you are inspecting your building, open each door and make sure that it closes under its own power and latches shut.

Corridors and stairwells are critical areas where people regularly travel to get to their apartment. These areas also become common catchment areas for shoes, small tables, decorations, recycling boxes and even some not so common items as bicycles, e-bikes, barbeques, skateboards and other surprising items.

The importance of clear means of egress cannot be stressed enough. There can be nothing in the halls and stairwells. This space has been designed especially to allow the correct number of people to escape in the correct time. Any reduction to this space makes it more difficult to escape by creating trip hazards, blockages and fire load. The job of a firefighter is made more difficult when trying to move their equipment through this maze of items.

Exterior portions of the building must be kept clear for means of egress, including porches, sidewalks and decks including sidewalks to rear exits. This can be an area where things accumulate. Make sure the accumulation does not inhibit door swing, and exit pathways. Also make sure that seasonally all exit doors are kept unblocked from snow drifts, ice buildup and water problems. Exit doors must operate every day of the year.

Familiarize yourself with the regulations of the Landlord and Tenants Act. Checking smoke alarms is your responsibility and you can do so by providing 24 hours notice in writing to the tenant.

Keep good, thorough records every time you enter the residence and the smoke alarm is disabled. Make it part of the lease agreement that smoke alarms must be maintained. Tenants can be charged for disabling alarms if you have proof that you provided them and checked them regularly.

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