Freeholder refusing permission for wood burning stove

[NM2]

I've recently bought a Leasehold flat and I've requested permission from the Freeholder to install a wood burning stove. There's an existing chimney, the engineer is HETAS registered (so has public liability insurance), and wouldn't even need to erect scaffolding to install. The Freeholder has denied permission, citing that our Building Insurer (Zurich) have said that they would withdraw all fire cover for the building if we install a wood burning stove. This seems mad to me! They are really common!

Has anyone else had issues with Building Insurance refusing fire cover because of a wood burning stove??

They might be common now but environmentally not great. If you can't have one you can't have one.

I look after this type of insurance. It may be that this year’s policy would be invalidated if you got one (and then more expensive). So it’s not quite - ‘you’re uninsurable’, but ‘you can’t now, and it’s not a great idea in the future’.

But also, they’re a stupid thing to get for the reasons PP says, so they might just be being responsible.

Hi, i plan to replace the existing wood burning stove with a new one. Will I need a certificate of compliance?

Wood burning stoves are harmful for home occupants, neighbours and the environment:

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/wood-burning-stoves/article/stoves-and-pollution-aIPXC8g7lbu5

Your freeholder is right.

I would ask to see evidence of his insurance communications. Look in your lease to see if he has the right to refuse and on what grounds. Can your freeholder insist that you have higher standards that are legally required, as the posters below have suggested - doesn't sound right to me.

Your freeholder is being responsible. There’s now plenty of scientific evidence unfiltered particulate pollution caused by these burners are highly toxic and detrimental to our health.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/16/home-wood-burning-biggest-cause-particle-pollution-fires

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9266655/Wood-burning-stoves-produce-THREE-TIMES-small-particle-air-pollution-road-traffic.html

I'm snuggled next to my woodburning stove now with a glass of wine and loving it. I own a wood, so I'm making sure that all of my burning wood is fallen and 2 year dried. For me it's a free and sustainable way of heating my home, and seasoned wood means it's smoke free.
They are however 100% unsuitable for flats. Some of the thing that can go wrong:
If you get the air wrong when setting up you fill the house up with smoke - not good if you have upstairs and downstairs neighbours.

If you don't load property and burning wood rolls out and misses the hearth you have a fire risk - it can happen - I have scorch marks on the carpet to prove it!
A relative hadn't had their flue maintained and somehow ended up with a small fire in their wall cavity! We think she just fancied a fireman at the time!