If you live in a multi-family condo or apartment you may have a situation where several flue systems are sharing one common space. The concern when this happens is that all parties need to maintain their chimney system to help ensure the safety of everyone in that shared space. This is not always the case and typically the property management company does not have definitive guidelines for maintenance or unsafe systems.
The example above is one common situation where four condos are sharing one chimney chase. The condo inspected had a system that was no longer safe for use and using the system could have led to fire and or carbon monoxide entry into the condo, or even adjacent condos. Currently, the only proactive prevention you can take is to make sure you have the appropriate amount of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home and always have multiple fire extinguishers in the house. Additionally, have that conversation with your property management team, it may not be something they have even considered before.