There are many steps that you can take to protect your Owings Mills investment properties from vandalism, but even with all the preparation and prevention, there is still no guarantee. With roughly 15% of homes targeted by vandals each year, it is likely that one or more of your rental homes may eventually be hit.
When vandalism develops, it’s easy to start feeling a sense of violations and frustration as you are working with the law enforcement, insurance company, struggling to get repairs finished, all while you are trying ting provide reassurance to your tenants. Being prepared and know what to do when vandals strike can help to restore your confidence and make navigating the whole process of recovery that much easier.
As soon as you are aware that vandalism has happened, it is important to contact the local authorities and file a police report. Your tenants may take it upon themselves to make the call themselves, but in addition, as the Owings Mills property landowner you should be communicating with the investigating police officers and make sure that all property damage is documented in an official report.
Not only will you want to document the damage from the vandalism for your own records, but you should also share it with your insurance company. A great way to document the damage is by taking photos. However, if you are not able to go to the property yourself right away, you might have your tenant, or your property management company handles the documentation.
Collaborating with your insurance company is an important step in the process of handling repairs. The will need to be involved as soon as the damage occurs. A great preparation measure is to make sure that your landlord insurance policy helps to cover damages. If not, you may have to pay for the repairs yourself. When it comes to fixing the damage caused by the vandal, you will be fully responsible to take care of it, unless your renter or one of their guests was the cause of the vandalism
Lastly, vandalism can be a frightening time for a tenant. It can leave behind not only physical damage to the property, but it can also have a lasting feeling of fear and anxiety. Their sense of security has been violated. They are going to need reassurance that you will take care of things as well as visible proof that you or the property management company are working hard to restore both the rental property and their ability to live safely inside.
At Real Property Management Essentials, one of our top priorities is having both your tenant and your rental property guarded against vandalism and other unnecessary damages. But if vandals do create a mess, we will handle all the documentation and the recovery process, making sure that your property is restored as soon as possible. Would you like to find out more? Please contact us online or call us at 410-832-3138 for details.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
