Are Tenants Allowed to Have A Grill?

Around the spring and summer months, we get this question a lot: “Are Tenants Allowed to Have A Grill?” This is a very tricky question. So in this article, we’re going to be sharing with you how we handle it at Green Ocean Property Management.

In all our leases, we don’t allow grills. We understand that in many states and jurisdictions, they might require that it has to be within 10 ft. of the house or more. That should give a decent buffer if there is some sort of fire issue.  You have to be very careful with things like porches and decks, which are super common for people to put grills on. 

In addition, our leases state that there should be no grills on the property. If we do see them, we can either fine or charge the tenant and we can remove it at their cost. And again, it’s not to say that we don’t allow tenants to have grills; we just want to make sure we’re telling them that they’re not liable for it, and we want to protect the landlord from it.

But don’t worry! There can be a safer alternative.

We suggest electric grills

We do sometimes allow the electric grills, the ones that you can just plug into the wall. The chances of that starting a fire are a lot less than propane or charcoal grills. But regardless, we’d rather be safe than sorry, so we just do not allow them at all.

If you are a landlord and you’re still adamant about your tenants’ having a grill, think about these things. Having grill space actually depends on the size of your property. There can be a specific area for a grill, protected with concrete. We can also put fire extinguishers and other precautions to allow tenants to have a grill safely. The bottom line is we will make sure that residents within the home and your property are covered as well.

If you or anyone else you know is looking for a proactive property manager that can help you solve problems and avoid them in the first place, like fires due to grilling, please think of Green Ocean Property Management: where you get more than a property manager, you get peace of mind.