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Wood Burning Fireplace in Your Rental Property

In my first rental property I had an important decision to make: To keep the wood burning fireplace or to replace it with a safer option.

In short, having a real fireplace in your rental property can pose as a great risk if you don’t have responsible tenants. On the other hand, a wood burning fireplace can be a unique and beautiful feature of your property that can be a delight during colder months. Unless you have adequate insurance coverage, and you screened your tenants very well, it may be best choice to convert the real fireplace.

In this article I will discuss all the problems that I encountered with my rental property’s wood burning fireplace and provide multiple options going forward that you can consider for your own property!

Be sure to check out the entire story about how I purchased my first rental property here!

Pros for a Real Fireplace in Your Rental Property

Having a wood burning fireplace is becoming a rarity, and it can be a great amenity that your rental property provides, in comparison to other homes.

Here are some pros that may make you consider keeping the real fireplace in your rental:

1. It can make for beautiful aesthetic.

2. It can save on energy and gas bills.

3. It sets your property out against competition.

If you decide to keep the wood burning fireplace in your rental property, here are some tips to consider:

  • Place a fire extinguisher in every room that has a fire potential
  • Place warning signs on doors regarding smoke and fire in the home (similar to what you see in hotels)
  • Provide your tenants with brochures about proper and safe use of the fireplace
  • Be sure to have working smoke detectors throughout the rental property
  • Schedule regular chimney cleanings and fireplace inspections

Cons for a Real Fireplace in Your Rental Property

No one likes the idea of their rental property burning to the ground.

Here are some cons to keeping the wood burning fireplace in your rental property:

1. It can be costly. Insurance can cost more, inspections, and cleanings can add up over the years.

2. An irresponsible tenant is the last you need. Tenant screening is pivotal, always, but important in a situation like this. There are so many great tenants out there. Tenants with a rough history, or student/young tenants may not be a good fit. Be sure you can spot one who will take good care of your property.

3. Neighborhood and area of town makes a difference. Owning a rental property in a Class A neighborhood versus a Class C neighborhood are totally different stories. Having a property in a Class C neighborhood may make this an easy decision to simply convert the fireplace instead of keeping it wood burning.

Other Options for Your Property’s Fireplace

Here are some options to consider if you choose not to allow use of the real fireplace in your rental property:

Permanently Close the Fireplace from Use

This is likely the cheapest option. To prevent use of the fireplace, you can seal the damper and find a way to permanently close the doors to the fireplace. Or, remove the doors and paint the inside of the fireplace so the tenants can put decorative items in place of where the wood would normally go.

It is recommended to have the tenant sign that they will not try to use the fireplace if you don’t do a permanent seal of the damper.

Glass Doors

Having glass doors installed is a great option to maintain the feel of a real fireplace, but not allowing it to be utilized. Think of the glass door you typically see on a gas fireplace. It keeps the beauty of the fireplace while not allowing access of the inside.

 

How Much it Costs to Convert a Fireplace

So, the question here really is: Is it worth the cost to change the fireplace?

Below I’ll discuss 3 ways to convert a fireplace, and the cost associated with changing your rental property’s wood burning fireplace into a safer option:

Converting a Wood Burning Fireplace to Gas

This is actually a bigger deal than you’d realize It can cost on average $2,000 to $5,000 in order to convert to a gas fireplace. You should consider this cost prior to purchasing your rental property, so analyze if having a gas fireplace is really a deal breaker, considering the cost.

Converting a Wood Burning Fireplace to Electric or Digital

Having a digital fireplace (one that you can pick up at your local hardware store) is a great and inexpensive option if you really want to keep a fireplace in the home – yet get rid of the wood burning aspect. This conversion costs on average $200-$2,000, depending on the size and features of the “fireplace” that you’re installing.

Removing a Wood Burning Fireplace to be Decorative

A popular option is to seal the damper of the fireplace, clean it out, and paint the inside. Costs associated could include having a chimney inspection before sealing the damper, hiring someone to seal the damper and remove doors, glass and other hardware, and paint. This option is good if you want to remove the option of having the fireplace as wood burning yet keep the aesthetic of the mantle.

(Pssst: Check out my step-by-step tutorial to painting your rental property’s fireplace so that it is more aesthetically appealing to your future tenants, here!)

My Experience with a Real Fireplace in a Rental Property

My first rental unit contained a real fireplace, and we were clueless regarding what to do about it. Forums told us contradicting information, so I’ll outline exactly what I did so you have a real rental property owner’s point of view:

To start, I will let you know that I actually kept the wood burning fireplace installed. We found it to be a unique attribute of the home, and did make our property more appealing to potential tenants. I was sure to have a strict tenant screening done by my property management company, and this initial step was critical.

Having an experienced property manager is critical to finding a responsible tenant who will take care of your property! I have written a detailed article here about why I choose to use a rental company for my properties!

Secondly, I recognized that my property was in a safe and quiet neighborhood. The tenant we chose has been great since day one of her renting our property.

Next, we got the fireplace inspected and cleaned. This is something that will have to be done yearly. We also wrote in the contract for the tenant to adhere to multiple requests, including keeping flammable items away from the fireplace, agreeing to have read through instruction of how to use the fireplace, and regularly sweeping and cleaning the fireplace.

The current tenant is planning on staying in the property for a number of more years. In the future when this tenant moves out, I plan to reanalyze this fireplace and will likely seal the damper and paint the fireplace to purely be decorative.

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