Major storms and natural disasters can create a lot of destruction. As a Mohave Valley rental property owner, do you know what your responsibilities are in the event that your resident’s personal property is damaged or destroyed?
Some property owners may believe that any destruction from a storm or natural disaster is their responsibility. However, renters and rental property owners both have liabilities when it comes to property damage. Knowing which liabilities are yours and which belong to your residents is an integral part of overcoming damage from a natural disaster.
For instance, many rental properties have one or more big trees around the outside of the home. If a tree on your rental property falls during a storm and damages a vehicle belonging to a resident, whose responsibility is it to cover the cost of repairs? In this case, paying for repairs is not your responsibility. Instead, the resident’s auto or renter’s insurance should cover the cost of repairing the car.
How about other kinds of damage from a natural disaster? Floods, wildfires, and tornadoes are all extreme but possible situations that rental property owners and residents may encounter. If a natural disaster damages a rental property, it is the owner’s responsibility to make sure that it is livable and to pay for renovations if it is not.
However, the resident’s personal property, including vehicles, and the costs of evacuation like transportation, alternative lodging, and food are all the resident’s responsibility. If the property is restored back to a habitable state quickly, the resident may still be subject for the terms of the lease and should have adequate renter’s insurance to cover a short stay in alternative housing.
At Real Property Management Northern Arizona, we support rental property owners like you, and we will help you understand what your responsibilities are in the event of a natural disaster or another weather-related incident. No matter what nature causes, our quality property management services will help alleviate your anxieties about liability and guarantee that your residents are shouldering their fair share of responsibility. Contact us online or give us a call at 928-757-7368 to find out more about what we can do for you.