Tenant in Rental House

If he has offered to help put a roof on your place he would have skin in the game. My self I would let him,he probably could use the money saved by burning coal . just be there to help him set it up and welcome him into this forum.Hell If I can burn coal safely anyone can. Just my Opinion is all. :

NO WAY would I trust a tenant with a wood, or coal stove. NO WAY!!! I agree with all the others. EDIT: That being said, I have known some very responsible people who rented houses, and heated with wood. That was years ago. My original reply is based more on todays world, todays tenets, and my experiences with rental property. The question is; How well do you know this guy? You have to be sure. I have a 26 year old employee who I would let heat with coal. Of course, he owns his own house.

In my opinion, it would need to be based on how well I knew him and if I was absolutely confident he would be responsible with it. I don't need to sing to the choir about how serious it is that when it's tending time, nothing can be overlooked. Ash handling is just as important.

But, who knows. Maybe he grew up in a home using wood or coal.

My first coal stove was in a house I was renting. Look at me now.

interesting thoughts from everybody, appreciate the input.
i do believe the stove pipe is disconnected, and the thimble is
currently plugged with something as a filler. I trust him enough to
believe he hasn't changed that. I don't live or work far from this home,
and check in often.
he has helped me clean up a blown over tree, and has done some minor
repairs, and has offered to install flooring if purchase it, which I will.
i'll take it as a no for now, if he really complains or finds hardship with
the oil i'll reconsider then
thanks for all the input

For me, I would also have to think--this is a righteous guy, if he screwed something up, how might he feel & what would it do the relationship you two obviously have--Not worth the aggravation/risk in my world, thinks are screwy enough

dutch wrote:i am currently renting out a house that I used to live in that has a Mark III stove
in the basement. I used the stove successfully for 8 years while I lived there, and
came to love the heat and not having huge fuel oil costs.
my tenant is fairly capable and is somewhat proactive about the house,
and has made a few repairs himself, and has offered to help me put a roof
on the house next spring. I think he's fairly good with stuff around the house,
and I have a feeling he's going to be asking if he can use the stove once the
fuel oil bills start adding up.
my question to you all is would any of you trust a tenant to run a stove like
this in the home? I have my landlord insurance policy, and he has his renters policy,
so there is coverage on the home by both parties. I have a tendency to let him burn
the stove, with a lot of education from me on how the stove works, and I don't mind spending
some time with him teaching him the ins and outs of a hand fired stove.
i am sure he'd appreciate the savings in heating costs this winter.

Spend some time showing him how to start up the stove and get it levelled off at a simmer, so he knows how to use it. Most newbies tend to over-tend a coal stove, the beauty of the Harman III is, it doesn't need to be tended very often. That's a really easy stove to fire and maintain, with only one ash door draft to control it. Make sure your homeowners insurance agent knows, there's a coal stove being used by the tenant, in case there is an accident, you're covered. Also be wary if you have a manual flue pipe damper installed on that particular stove. The manual says under no circumstances to use one. If you install one and anything happens to the tenant from CO gases, guess what, you're liable and they'll prove that easily. I'd remove the manual damper if you have one installed, definitely, for that reason alone. Too risky. If something happens to the guy, you'd be liable for negligence.

This is important, I know someone who rented an apartment to a guy, in the hallway closet was located the hot water heater. During the night the man walked down the hallway to go to the bathroom, and slipped and hurt himself on water that leaked out under the door, onto the hallway floor. The guy sued the landlord and won a bunch of money from him. It happens.

The truth of the matter is, the tenant can sue you for just about anything that happens to him there- stove or no stove. The first thing a lawyer asks is "where did this happen ?" The first thing the health insurance company asks on a SUBROGATION FORM is, "where did this happen ?" Because if they get hurt, guess what, their health insurance company sues you, to get reimbursed for the medical bills.

Having said that, the cheap heat from the Harman III will keep the dampness out of your house and preserve your investment and rental asset. I'd let him use it, with proper instruction. Stop by a few times in the first week or 2, to make sure it's running ok- and tell him to call you anytime he has a problem with it. Make sure he understands, not to let the ashes build up to the point they get up the grates.

KISS--DON'T do it--to many variables--I see you're still on your anti, non factual MPD rant cc

Having some experience with the rental house situation, I would say the coal stove should be "off limits". Sweet words and calm intentions are very seldom matched with consistent follow thru. You have too much at risk .You could put in some insulation, fine tooth comb the oil heater for efficiency, encourage a change in oil suppliers for better pricing etc to help him along. BUT turn the stove to the wall and cover it up or sell it outright and remove the temptation. Coal is not the only thing that can get burned in a landlord tenant situation. Mike

whistlenut wrote:I am guessing this young man does NOT have needle tracks up both arms, is intelligent and honest. If his pickup is full of brown bottles and he can't maintain a job.......by all means say no. I do know what a PITA it is to remove that beast, and you could simply remove the doors and plug the thimble. .................It is hard to become 'experienced' without any 'experience'. Just because I'm not in an urban area, I still trust young folks to do the right thing. Educate, educate, educate........if the US Military did what you guys suggest, we would have a bunch of panty wearing Pillsbury dough boys. That sure as hell is not what I see when I meet the young men and women who are active or have returned to 'normal life'. He may have many more talents than you might imagine. I was never a 'turd' when I rented, and did more for the owner than was asked.......replaced two kitchens, updated electrical, re-plumbed, re-insulated, re=roofed, did masonry work..........................................................and traded for rent. I do know it takes a GREAT DEAL OF FAITH IN OUR FELLOW HUMANS, but I do not wear 'Rose Colored Glasses. Each case will be different.

you brought up a very good point- I have a friend who rents a few old farmhouses out in the countryside. A while back one of his tenants got busted for running a meth lab in the house. The guy is in jail now, but now the house has to be remodeled, rugs thrown out, etc. due to the smell of those chemicals. Lots of people cooking meth in rentals now- beware.