Major storms and natural disasters can cause a lot of damage. As an Ellicott City rental property owner, do you know what your responsibilities are in the event that your resident’s personal property is also damaged or destroyed?
Some property owners may think that they must cover the costs of repairs for any damage on their property, but renters and rental property owners both have liabilities depending on the type of damage. Knowing which liabilities are yours and which are your residents’ is an important step in recovering from a natural disaster.
For example, who is responsible to pay for repairs if a tree on your rental property falls in the middle of a storm and damages a resident’s car? In this case, the resident’s auto or renter’s insurance should pay for the repairs.
What about other types of damage caused by a natural disaster? Floods, wildfires, tornadoes, and hurricanes are all possible events that rental property owners and residents may face. If a rental property is damaged by a natural disaster, it is the owner’s responsibility to check that it is livable and to pay for repairs if it is not.
However, the resident’s personal property and the costs of moving, temporary lodging, food, and other expenses because of an evacuation are all the resident’s responsibility. If the property is restored to back to a habitable state quickly, the resident would still be responsible for the terms of the lease and must have renter’s insurance to cover temporary alternative housing.
At Real Property Management Essentials, we help rental property owners like you understand what your responsibilities are in the event of a natural disaster or another weather-related incident. Our extraordinary property management assistance will help answer your questions about liability and see to it that your residents are bearing their equal share of responsibility. Contact us online or give us a call at 410-832-3138 to find out more and realize what we can do for you.