Can anyone please provide me with a step by step outline of actions that need to take place to recoup costs for damage to my rental home that was caused by the tenants. Tenants are still living there and have 5 months left on their lease. Damage is related to water damage, from tenants washing machine.
2007-09-03 00:58:56 · 4 answers · asked by Johnny H 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
I am looking to recoup the 1,000 dollar decutible from my insurance company instead of the total damage of 4,000.
2007-09-03 01:08:10 · update #1
Okay, this is going to be a long one. Rental laws vary state to state...
First do you have a lease that outlines repair fordamages caused by them?? Dont panic if that is not in your lease there are ways around it.. Second did you receive a deposit on the residence and if so are there other damages that will have to be fixed that you are aware of. DO you have an estimate for the cost to repair, will the deposit fix it. Then again if there is 5 moths left on the lease you probably should not use the deposit to pay.
I would start by picking a contractor or getting an estimate for the damage (if you plan to fix it yourself) so you know what the cost for repair actually is (ie: supplies, man hours etc) then consult with the tenants about their need to pay for the damages and that it must be repaired in order to not cause more damage to the floor. If they do not have the lump sum, but you are able to afford it, raise their rent for three months and have them to sign an agreement to pay that amount or you WILL have to evict and they will not get their deposit back. Unfortunatly, this is a complicated situation for you as the landlord. How it is handled should be based on a tenant to tenant basis as some are good and some leave you regretting that you signed a lease with them. I would say that requiring them to pay is the best way as you cannot be certain that there will not be anymore damage that may require the use of their deposit. Remeber if it all goes bad you are the landlord and there is legal recourse that can be taken.
2007-09-03 01:15:12 · answer #1 · answered by dawn 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
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2016-07-19 13:39:37 · answer #2 · answered by Terrence 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you have building insurance? If so, submit a claim to your building insurance company. If something went wrong with the washing machine, you may have grounds to make a products liability claim against the manufacturer.
If that fails, submit a bill for repairs to the tenant. They are responsible for returning the property to you, in the condition it was received.
2007-09-03 01:06:24 · answer #3 · answered by regerugged 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
you can't; here is why. you must specifically state why you feel the tenants were negligent in causing the damage. you have made no such effort here. my seven year old nephew has a saying. "sounds very suspicious"....yet the insurance company paid. my nephew has a saying; sounds very suspicious. See where this is going. i suspect the city considers you a problem landlord that has racked up many complaints and code violations. can you prove me wrong or are you just the typical on line whiner?
2007-09-04 05:49:48 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋