Ceiling Fans Dilemma In Rentals

[Sam Leon]

Being in South Florida where it's summer 11.5 months of the year it's nice to have ceiling fans to circulate the air in a rental and renters see it as a "plus" although I don't think it's a show stopper.

My rentals are typically older buildings and many came with installed ceiling fans and I typically try to keep the fans. 

However, they are a maintenance burden.  For example, if you have to access the junction box above the fan it is a lot more trouble to have to remove the fan to get at the wiring.  Tenants tend to either lose or break the remote or rip down the pull chain...but the biggest concern I have is the actual install and support.

Almost every time I take down a ceiling fan, I found these older installs were not properly supported.  The ceiling boxes are rarely securly fastened to the roof framing, but are just hanging there.  Granted, these older buildings have EMT metal conduits so the conduit connections do provide some rigidity and support, but they cannot be counted on especially these set screws could come loose.  But the bigger issue is the ceiling box are never fan rated boxes.  For those of you who are handy you know what I am talking about, a fan rated box is supposed to be securely fastened to the roof framing and they have those long and deep threaded rod connections to mount the hanging brackets on to.  A regular box you are simply attaching the hanging bracket to a mud ring with two 6-32 screws on those tiny thin ears.  Yet I see those fans have been there forever.

What is your practice when it comes to existing ceiling fans in a rental property?

Do you take them all down and get rid of them?

Do you leave them alone as long as it's working and not worry about how it's installed?

Do you at least remove the canopy cover to peek into whether it was properly supported and if the box is rated for a fan?  I guess the same question if you have a pre-existing chandelier.