Rental house damaged

[desertt5]

My rental house in GA got thrashed inside tonight. My renter called my wife first thing to let us know.

The tenant is a good friend. I put her and her husband in the Marine Corps. Unfortunately he was killed in Iraq in his second tour and she is now out of the Corps. She has lived there with their son for over a year with no issues. Saw her and the house in September. She is one of the sweetest people you could ever meet. Has been since she was in high school.

Tonight her boyfriend got drunk and went berserk in a matter of seconds. Fridge knocked over, holes in walls, slider door glass cracked, window broken and his blood everywhere. He is now with the police and being charged with criminal damage to property, child endangerment, and not sure what else. She is getting a restraining order tomorrow.

I am not sure if she has renters insurance. Would my property insurance cover things to get the place back in shape quicker? If so, who would they likely go after to get their money back, the tenant or the boyfriend? I don't even remember what my deductible is now that its a rental house. May be too high make it worth it. Would one claim in 6 years effect my rates? Anyone experience this with USAA?

Any landlords dealt with this type thing before?

[crustychief]

No answers for you from experience, but sorry it happened.

[rsNINESOOPER]

Not sure about the laws in your state and I am not an insurance provider but have been involved in rental property-

More than likely your insurance company would go after your tenant and not the boyfriend unless he illegally entered the house as in un-invited by the tenant. If there is no contract between you and your tenant they would go after both.Further more your insurance may not cover it depending on your policy or the deductible will be high enough that it would not be worth making a claim. There's way too many variables to say for sure what the course of action would be by the insurance company. At a minimum be familiar with the the written terms of the policy before you make a claim so you know what your options are.

[Rick Lee]

My rental is a condo and I think I just have a fire policy on the place. Renters insurance is the responsibility of the tenants. The problem is when they or their friends do more damage than their security deposit can cover. Ain't your fault her BF trashed the place. But it could become your problem.

[DanielDudley]

You might be able to take the BF to small claims court. Good luck on collecting. BTW, there are a lot of nice girls who habitually collect losers. Don't be surprised if it happens again.

Good luck on this.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Maybe I'm callous, but why don't you hold her responsible? She is your tenant and invited in a guest that trashed your house. In my younger days when I rented and occasionally threw an "enthusiastic" party, I always knew that any resulting damage was on me.

[red-beard]

The liability is on your tenant. She should pay for the damage.

That said, if she is a good tenant, I'd help her find a used refrigerator, and help her find someone to fix the damage. I expect you will not get through the deductible, unless there is a lot more damage. It is to your benefit to get this stuff fixed. Stuff happens.

And you KNOW this isn't over yet...domestic violence...I would work on getting a new tenant.

BTW, it is a bad idea to rent to friends. It makes it hard to do the proper business decisions.

[Laneco]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Maybe I'm callous, but why don't you hold her responsible? She is your tenant and invited in a guest that trashed your house. In my younger days when I rented and occasionally threw an "enthusiastic" party, I always knew that any resulting damage was on me.

Not to sound like a hard as$, but he's right. She is the renter. She invited him in, she is responsible for the damage he did, just as she would be responsible if her dog ate the molding, or the cat sprayed on the carpet. We've had three rentals and regular "thrashings" occur. Get a damage estimate and set her on a payment schedule. Fix the items slowly, beginning with the "safety" items such as the door. Walls can wait until dead last, a thrashed refrigerator that still works is a refrigerator she now OWNS. As she pays, fix another item.

If she does not make these payments or there is a second occurance, immediately evict. I realize this sounds callous but when women start collecting losers, some of them get smart and get the hell away. Unfortunately, most of them drop the restraining order in a few weeks and then you get round two, and three, etc., or the boyfriend builds a meth lab out of your house.

angela

[desertt5]

Found some of my insurance paperwork. My deductible is too high.

Hopefully she has renters ins. I knew there would be the responses of get a new tenant. She is the third one I have had. She's the only one that has paid on time all the time, and takes care of the place like its her own.

Will talk to her this weekend about the getting the glass replaced. Was trying to see if I could help her without coming out of my pocket, doesn't look like it.

[Rot 911]

More than likely, unless the guy has a long criminal history, he is going to get probation. Make sure you have your tenant quickly get an estimate of the damages and turn that estimate into the prosecutors office and request that restitution be made a part of his probation. You may not get all of the money back for repairs from the boyfriend, but you will get some of it back. Tell her she is responsible for the damages, but any money recovered from the boyfriend will go back to her.

[desertt5]

Originally Posted by Laneco

Not to sound like a hard as$, but he's right. She is the renter. She invited him in, she is responsible for the damage he did, just as she would be responsible if her dog ate the molding, or the cat sprayed on the carpet. We've had three rentals and regular "thrashings" occur. Get a damage estimate and set her on a payment schedule. Fix the items slowly, beginning with the "safety" items such as the door. Walls can wait until dead last, a thrashed refrigerator that still works is a refrigerator she now OWNS. As she pays, fix another item.

angela

Yes, she is ultimately responsible and I am confident she will make it right in the long run. The payment schedule is a good idea. She wouold have no problem with that.

She said she was going to start working on estimates today and get pictures of everything.

Rot, no idea how capable this guy is of paying for anything, even is the court makes him. He has only been seeing her for a very short time. Hopefully the court can pull all of it out of him. Never had to deal with courts and restitution before.

[Rick Lee]

Putting her on payment schedule sounds like you're fixing things. Make her fix it. You shouldn't have to front any cash for this. Insurance doesn't matter. It's all on her.

[rcecale]

desertt5,

In what part of Georgia is your house? I'm in Norcross and may be able to squeeze some time to help...not sure with what, but just thought I'd offer...one Marine to another!

Semper fi!

Randy

[onewhippedpuppy]

Surely she has a deposit, right? I would use the deposit to fix the major items like the exterior window and door to protect your property, but you should leave the rest up to her. Any excess over the deposit amount should be billed to her. Tell her if she takes care of the smaller things like the drywall holes then you won't charge her for it. You're under no obligation to fix cosmetic damages, maybe she has a friend that can patch the walls then she can repaint.

[desertt5]

Randy, the house is near Dalton. I do appreciate it. It should be taken care of next week pretty easy. Got a neighbor next door that can take care of the windows. That is the only immediate worry.

I used to be in Norcross once a month for training. The Marine Recruiting Station for most of GA is there off Peachtree. Hated that drive !!

The money she would be paying back will be out of her deposit.


Kirby

[rcecale]

Hah! I recruited up in Michigan, out of the Lansing RS, back in '88 thru '90. What a job!!!

Randy

[BK911]

Renters insurance typically covers the contents of the house, not the house itself.
Your insurance typically covers the house. Different levels of insurance. Some will cover damage some will not. You need to call your agent to see.

Yes she is responsible. Small claims court will most likely rule in your favor, if you have to go there.

Sheet rock and paint are cheap. If she is a good friend, do it yourself and save money.

[Joe Ricard]

On time with rent checks that don't bounce = keeper renter.

Just get the stuff fixed and write it off on your taxes. Kicking her out will only make it worse for you. (go through 4 more check bouncing renters) or the place is vacant for a few months while you still pay the note.

This is your customer and sounds like a good one. till now. Keep the renter and give her a revised lease agreement with somethng about she will be responsible for any future damage yada yada.

[drcoastline]

dessertt5-

I'm in the insurance business. If you have a basic fire policy you should be OK. A basic fire policy covers fire, lightning, wind and vandalism. You need to read your policy and call your agent.

For the future a renters policy covers her possessions and if you make it a requirement of the lease the HO-4 (tenants/renters policy) will also have liability coverage. The liability from her HO-4 would cover this damage.

A word of caution for the future. You need need to upgrade your policy from fire to an HO-6 (condo owners policy) with liability and a provision to rent the unit.

I am not sure of the conditions of Dalton GA but a fire policy typically does not cover damage due to frozen or broken pipes, theft, explosion, smoke and a few others.

Sorry to hear about the loss.

Good luck hope this is helpful.

DR

[Jagshund]

We had a claim with USAA for some hail damage on the roof. Our rates didn't increase, but it was something out of our hands. If they believe your damage could possibly occur again, they may raise your rates. I'd call them and let them know the situation.