By Johnathan Mason, Ace Chimney Service.
If you rent out a Woodstock home with a working fireplace, the fireplace is your responsibility, not the tenant’s. A tenant can be asked to burn seasoned wood and keep the hearth clear, but the flue, the liner, the cap, and the venting are building systems — the same category as the furnace and the roof. Here is the checklist we work through with the landlords and property managers who call us, drawn from 29 years of service calls in McHenry County.
Inspect at every turnover, without exception
The single highest-value habit is a chimney inspection between tenants, while the house is empty and access is easy. You learn what the last tenant actually did, and you start the new lease with a documented condition report.
Turnover is also when problems are cheapest to fix. A cracked flue tile found in an empty house is a scheduling matter; the same crack found in January with a family living there is an emergency and a displaced tenant. Our chimney inspection service covers the flue interior, the firebox, the smoke chamber, the cap, and the crown.
Decide, in writing, whether the fireplace is in use
Many rental fireplaces are decorative by landlord preference, and that is a legitimate choice — but it has to be stated in the lease and enforced physically, not just verbally. A tenant who finds a firebox, a damper, and no instructions will eventually light a fire in it.
If the fireplace is out of service, have the damper locked or the opening closed off and note it in the lease and the move-in condition form. If it is in service, say so, and say who to call. Ambiguity is what produces the 9 PM call about smoke in the living room.
Document the condition and hand over instructions
Give every new tenant a one-page sheet: how to open and close the damper, what may be burned, how far to keep furniture from the opening, where the ash bucket lives, and the number to call for a problem. Keep a copy signed with the lease.
Photograph the firebox, the hearth, and the cap at move-in and move-out. Chimney damage arguments at the end of a tenancy are almost always unwinnable without pictures, and a photo set costs nothing.
Do not forget the dryer vent
Dryer venting is the item landlords miss most often, and it is the one with the clearest fire risk. Tenants rarely know where the duct runs or that it needs cleaning, and lint accumulates across tenancies regardless of who lives there.
Put dryer vent cleaning on the same turnover visit as the chimney work. If the run is long, goes up through the attic, or terminates somewhere you cannot see from the ground, treat it as annual rather than per-turnover.
Alarms are a landlord item, not a tenant errand
Illinois requires carbon monoxide alarms near sleeping areas, and any rental with a fuel-burning appliance should have them tested and dated at every turnover. Battery replacement can reasonably fall to the tenant during the lease; installation, placement, and end-of-life replacement do not.
Note the manufacture date on each unit when you do the walkthrough. Alarms expire, and an expired one in a rental is a liability that is cheap to remove.
Air quality between tenants
An empty house is the only easy time to clean ductwork, and it is the moment it matters most — you are handing the system to a new household. Previous tenants leave behind pet hair, smoke residue, and construction dust from any repairs you just made.
It is a small line item against a turnover budget and it removes a common early-tenancy complaint.
Build it into your turnover schedule
Landlords who treat the chimney like the furnace — annual, scheduled, documented — do not have chimney emergencies. Landlords who wait for a tenant to report a problem hear about it once smoke is already in the room.
We work with owners of single-family rentals and small multi-unit buildings across Woodstock and the surrounding towns, and we can coordinate directly with a tenant for access. Everything we do is quoted up front, we are insured and bonded, and the full range of chimney services is available seven days a week, 7 AM to 7 PM at (815) 320-0883.
Frequently asked questions
Is the chimney the landlord’s responsibility or the tenant’s?
The structure and the venting are the landlord’s, in the same way the furnace and roof are. Day-to-day use — burning proper fuel, keeping the hearth clear, removing cooled ash — is reasonably the tenant’s.
How often should a rental chimney be swept?
At every tenant turnover, and annually during a long tenancy if the fireplace is used. Turnover inspections catch the misuse you will otherwise never hear about.
Can I just tell tenants not to use the fireplace?
Yes, but put it in the lease and make it physical — a locked damper or a closed-off opening. A verbal instruction and an open firebox is not a workable combination.
Who pays for a sweep, the owner or the renter?
Owners pay in nearly every arrangement we see, because it is maintenance of the building. Some leases assign an annual sweep to a long-term tenant, in which case require a receipt from a professional.
What should be on the tenant’s fireplace instruction sheet?
Damper operation, approved fuel, clearance distances, ash handling, and the phone number to call. One page, signed, filed with the lease.
Does a decorative-only fireplace still need inspection?
Yes, less often, because the chimney remains part of the building envelope. Water entry, animals, and a failing crown damage the house whether or not anyone lights a fire.
How do I handle access when a tenant is living there?
Give the notice your lease requires and let us coordinate the appointment window directly with the tenant. Most of our rental work is scheduled that way.
What can I check myself on a walkthrough?
Damper movement, soot buildup on the firebox walls, staining on the ceiling near the chimney, and a look at the cap and crown from the ground. Our DIY chimney care guide covers what is safe to check without climbing.
Published October 10, 2026