If a Fire Is In An Apartment, Is The Tenant Or The Landlord Responsible?

The landlord and a tenant have different insurance carriers and they also have different rights and obligations when a certain accident or incident happens.  When a huge fire happens and it destroys the property, a lot of people usually get confused on who should be responsible and would take the blame for what happened.  There are many things that you need to know about landlord and tenant relationship before construction and renovation comes.  In this article you will know the responsibilities of the landlord and the tenant when the property is burned down because of fire.

The landlord is responsible for maintaining the rental premises to make it habitable. If the landlord can’t prove that the tenant was the one who caused the fire, he has the obligation to make the repairs. If proven that the tenant was responsible for the fire, then that person is responsible for repairing the damage on the property.

The tenant is required to work together with the landlord’s plans and repair efforts. There are lease contracts that the tenant signed where the tenant is required to help in construction and repairs. If the tenant refuses to work with the landlord, he will be given a notice terminating the contract or will be filed breach of contract.

If the fire started because of the landlord’s carelessness then he will be responsible for the tenant’s inconvenience. This would include the money lost, food lost and damage to property. If the tenant was the one responsible for the fire then he/she will need to pay the landlord for damage including rental payments.  Landlords today require tenant to get renters insurance and make the landlord the property manager and extend the coverage on him.  A renter’s insurance is very useful because it is capable of providing another source of insurance for the tenant and the landlord.  Before signing getting any renters insurance, the landlord must consult a professional to answer his questions regarding tenant and landlord relationship and know what are the necessary requirements to make sure that both of them will be insured and contain the necessary documents in protecting his property.

If an incident occurs it’s not just the landlord’s responsibility to take care of the property. As a tenant, they also have responsibilities in maintaining the order of the property and making it safe. They both have equal responsibilities on the property, it doesn’t matter if you are the owner or not. Remember to keep documents and photographs when the incident happened so that you would have concrete evidence about what happened.