How to Prevent Fires in your Airbnb Property

The best fire prevention for short-term rentals or any property you own is going to be similar. But hosting an Airbnb experience means your tenants are coming and going frequently.

This turnover leads to a whole host (pun intended) of new problems, and fire risk is definitely one of them.

 

How to protect your Airbnb from fires

The first step to fire prevention is ensuring every property has a smoke alarms installed on every floor of the property, especially near bedrooms or living areas.

The simple act of installing smoke alarms can prevent a small fires from growing and becoming blazing infernos that cost tens of thousands of dollars.

 

Kitchen fires

At FireAvert we are very aware that most house fires start in the kitchen, so we are big advocates of making the kitchen as fire safe as possible.

Our Auto Stove Shutoff devices are perfect for people who own rental properties because it prevents these kitchen fires before they ever happen without any extra work from you. (Our PRO model also lets you track all stove shutoff events)

Keep your kitchens clean and store all towels or flammable items away from stove tops or cooking appliances. This also shows your tenants where they should put them after their stay.

 

Electrical fires

Electrical fires are all too common, and are incredibly destructive. Ensure that every appliance is plugged into an appropriate outlet (and in fact leaving your appliances unplugged can help with prevention!)

Ensuring each property you buy is inspected by a certified electrician before you start renting will uncover any glaring issues that could cause problems for you or your tenants.

 

Fire extinguishers

Keep multiple fire extinguishers throughout your rental properties. If a fire does start make sure your tenants can easily find a fire extinguisher to put out the fire before it grows.

It is a good practice to show tenants these extinguishers in any welcome packet/information you give them.

 

Host liabilities and insurance

No matter how many preventions you put in place, fires can still happen. It is important to understand your responsibilities as an Airbnb host.

According to their website Airbnb does provide hosts with $1 million in coverage if you are found responsible for something happening to your guests while staying in your rental.

If guests cause any damage to your property you are also covered by an Airbnb policy called Host damage protection. This is definitely good to hear because it should cover most fire related damages caused by your tenants.

 

Despite this you should still get additional insurance to protect against losses greater than the $1 million or in instances where Airbnb's insurance won't cover you or your assets.

 

Be a responsible host

It is good to hear that Airbnb wants to help you if any fires were to happen in your vacation rental properties.

However, as a host there comes a responsibility for the safety of your tenants. Following these fire prevention tips and any other safety requirements is definitely the best practice.

If you are interested in buying FireAvert for your home shop our products here

If you have multiple properties and are curious about our bulk pricing discount click here