Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has set out landlord and tenant responsibilities. According to CHMC, “[I]n all provinces, landlords are legally obliged to ensure that the rental unit complies with the rules and regulations pertaining to minimum health, safety, housing and maintenance standards. Before a landlord rents a property, it must meet municipal property standards, zoning bylaws, fire safety regulations and local building codes.”
Sometimes basement suites are not meant to be used as a dwelling and have not been equipped with proper windows. If you need to use a window in the event of a fire, it is important that the windows in a rental home meet safety regulations and most building codes will state that all bedrooms must have a window.
If a window may need to be used as an escape in the event of a fire, it is important to check them to make sure someone would be able to get out.
• Make sure the window does not stick and it can be easily opened.
• Fix anything that is broken.
• Check all the fasteners like clips, nails and screws.
• Make sure it is a big enough window that someone can crawl through it.
• Make sure the window is not too high. If it is up high plan a way that it could be accessed easily in an emergency.
If there are no smoke detectors in your Regina, Saskatchewan rental property it is time to get them. Most homes will have at least one but experts suggest having one in every room, especially bedrooms. You want smoke detected as quickly as possible if a fire breaks out and having a smoke detector in every room will help ensure that you are safer from the dangers of fire.
Batteries in smoke detectors should be changed once a year at minimum. Some experts suggest they be changed twice a year. The smoke detector should be tested to ensure that it is working. Make sure everyone in the home knows what the smoke detector sounds like so that if it goes off, everyone knows what the sound is.
Make sure that there are enough electrical outlets in the home and that the wiring meets current standards. Do not plug too many things into one outlet as that creates a fire hazard. If you have anything with a frayed or damaged cord make sure to fix the cord or to replace it to avoid fire hazards. If you are using portable heaters in your rental home they should be placed at least three feet from anything that is flammable and they should be turned off before going to sleep or leaving the home. It is best to plug an electric heater directly into a wall outlet.
Your rental property may or may not allow you to smoke indoors if you are a smoker. Either way, practice safe smoking habits. Ensure that lighters cannot be reached by children and always make sure your cigarette is fully extinguished. Never smoke in bed or fall asleep with a lit cigarette in your hand. Every home should have a fire extinguisher in it and everyone should know how to use it in case of an emergency. It should be located in a convenient place and away from areas where a fire may commonly start. A fire extinguisher can extinguish a small fire and may be useful if you need it before the fire department arrives.
Once you are sure your home is as safe as it can be from fire, you still need to have a fire escape plan and it is a good idea to practice it. If there is a fire and you are out, never go back into the burning structure. Wait for the fireman to come and do what they can to ensure it is safely extinguished.
Here at Kodiak Properties we rent and sell our homes with safety as a #1 priority.