Candles

[Stephen E.]

Do you permit tenants' use of candles of attempt to regulate their use? I use a standard lease which has the following clause:

"The tenant shall not do, bring or keep anything in the Rented Premises, or permit or suffer such act which will in any way create a risk of fire or increase the rate of fire insurance on the building or contents."

I visited tenants at one of my units recently and found them burning half a dozen or more candles, spread throughout the living area. Having just seen a Fire Department Inspector make a presentation to a landlord group I was alarmed and asked the tenant to refrain from using candles. They were not happy and insisted that they could do so. I asked them to take reasonable steps to avoid a fire and made arrangements to deliver an additional fire extinguisher for the living room.

Would you have done any more or have done things differently? It seems to me that excessive candle use could be seen as negligence and that both the tenants and us would be sued in the case that fire caused by them created losses for others in the building. Has anyone addressed this issue before?

Whenever I read material from the fire department it contains a series of imperatives for landlords as for instance in the case of provision and maintenance of smoke detectors. I never question them and am always concerned to respond to all issues regarding fire. My tenants seem less engaged with these issues and are not responding fully to my efforts to sensitise them to the risks that they are potentially running with their and my property and with their safety and that of their neighbours.