Wildfire Preparedness for Boulder County Rentals

We learned a lot from the December 2021 Marshall Fire. Pinecrest lost three managed properties in Louisville that night. Every Boulder County property manager's job changed afterward.

Here's what we now do, and what owners and tenants should be doing.

Defensible space (owners)

Every Pinecrest-managed property in the wildland-urban interface gets an annual defensible-space inspection from Boulder County. We coordinate the inspection, schedule any required mitigation work with our vendor bench, and bill at cost.

The three zones:

• Zone 1 (0-5 ft from any structure): non-combustible materials only. No mulch, no woodpiles, no propane tanks (relocate). Fire-resistant landscaping (rock, gravel, low-water perennials).
• Zone 2 (5-30 ft): thinned vegetation. No trees touching the structure. No ladder fuels (no shrubs under tree canopies).
• Zone 3 (30-100 ft): spaced trees, removed dead and down material, mowed grass.

Cost for initial mitigation on a typical mountain property: $1,500-$4,000. Annual maintenance: $300-$800.

Lease addenda (everyone)

Every Pinecrest WUI property has a wildfire-readiness addendum on the lease, covering:

• Tenant-side responsibility for keeping the property defensible-space-compliant during the lease (no woodpiles within 5 ft, etc.).
• Evacuation responsibility: tenants are expected to follow Boulder County evacuation orders.
• Insurance disclosure: tenants are required to carry renter's insurance with $100K liability and contents coverage.

Renter's insurance gaps (tenants)

This is where we see tenants get hurt. Standard renter's insurance covers:

• Personal property in the unit (clothing, electronics, furniture).
• Liability if a guest is injured.
• Additional living expenses if the unit is uninhabitable.

What it usually doesn't cover well:

• Wildfire smoke damage to belongings (some policies, not all).
• Evacuation costs beyond ALE limits (most policies cap at $5K-$10K).
• Vehicle in the driveway — that's auto insurance, not renter's.

We recommend three Boulder-based agents who will quote a wildfire-aware policy in 24 hours. Names available on request.

Evacuation planning (everyone)

We send every WUI tenant the Boulder County emergency-notifications signup link at lease signing (Everbridge alerts: boco.org/emergency). We also include a one-page evacuation checklist:

1. Documents (passport, social security card, lease).
2. Medications.
3. Pet supplies (carrier, food, leash).
4. Computer / hard drive.
5. Sentimental items if time permits.

Get out fast. Don't wait.

After Marshall Fire

We've changed how we onboard properties in WUI zones. Properties that haven't completed defensible-space mitigation in the past 3 years require it as a condition of management. Our Louisville advisor walks through fire-history with every prospective tenant during tours.

We can't promise you a wildfire won't ever happen. We can promise we've thought about what we'd do if it did.

Questions? Contact us — Diego handles wildfire-mitigation coordination across our portfolio and is happy to walk through a specific property.