As a rental property owner in Toano, it’s essential to understand your responsibilities if there are major storms and natural disasters that can bring on extensive damage. This covers hearing how to handle the potential damage or devastation of your residents’ personal property.
Who is responsible for damage resulting from a disaster?
It’s a common misconception that any damage caused by a storm or natural disaster is naturally the property owner’s responsibility. But in fact, both renters and rental property owners have liabilities as to property damage. Being informed of these liabilities is a necessary part of being prepared for and recovering from misfortune.
As an illustration, a large number of rental properties feature one or more large trees around the home’s exterior. If a tree on your rental property falls down during a storm and destroys a vehicle belonging to a resident, whose responsibility is it to cover the cost of repairs? In such instances, paying for the damage is not your responsibility. Rather, the resident’s auto or renter’s insurance should cover the cost of fixing the resident’s car.
What about other types of damage caused by a natural disaster?
Floods, wildfires, tornados, and more are all potential events that rental property owners and residents may face occasionally. In the unfortunate event of a natural disaster damaging a rental property, it is the legal obligation of the property owner to check that the living conditions of the property are safe and habitable for the tenants. Plus, the property owner is likewise financially responsible for putting in order and covering the expenses related to the repair work required to restore the property to a habitable state.
With that said, the resident’s personal property, like vehicles, the cost of transportation owing to an evacuation, lodging, food, and other expenses are all the resident’s responsibility. As long as the property is returned to a habitable state within a short period, the resident may still be responsible for the lease terms. They must have sufficient renter’s insurance to cover momentarily needing alternative accommodations and to preserve their personal belongings in case of damage or loss. Coaxing your tenants to do so may save you both an extra headache in the event of a disaster.
How to stay prepared as a landlord
As a landlord, it is focal to prioritize disaster preparedness. Potential disasters can greatly impact your rental properties and tenants. To guarantee the safety and security of your properties, go about completing an extensive property risk assessment, procuring appropriate insurance coverage, and putting into effect preventative measures namely reinforcing vulnerable areas, securing loose objects, and attaching surge protectors.
Producing a comprehensive disaster preparedness plan and competently communicating evacuation routes and emergency contacts to your tenants are critical steps. Creating protocols for securing the property, on top of everything else, contributes to appropriate proactive disaster preparedness, essentially safeguarding your rental properties and the welfare of your tenants.
At Real Property Management VA Peninsula, we are dedicated to helping Toano rental property owners like you navigate the issues of natural disasters and other weather-related incidents. Contact us online or give us a call at 757-251-9188 today to understand more how we can endow you with the correct instructions and support you like.
Originally Published on October 5, 2018
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