Who Pays for Fire Damage in a Rental Property?

10/7/2022 (Permalink)

If you experience damage in your rental home, give SERVPRO of Alamo Ranch.

Fire Damage and Rental Properties

Whether you're a landlord or tenant, a fire can be devastating. But even more so if it happens in your rental property. A fast response and working with the right company to fix the damage are key to minimizing costs and getting back on track quickly.

Structural Damage Is Covered by the Renter

Structural damage is any damage that occurs to the building’s structure and framework. This can be caused by fire, smoke, water, mold, and wind. Damage from these sources can include cracks in walls and ceilings; broken floors or foundations; plumbing leaks; electrical short circuits; buckled walls or ceilings; collapsed plaster or drywall. Structural damage is always covered by the property owner.

Content Damage vs. Structure Damage

The primary difference between content damage and structural damage is that the former is limited to personal belongings, while the latter includes structural components of a building.

Content damage typically refers to damage caused by fire or water, such as smoke-stained walls or ruined clothing. In cases of extreme fire damage where the structure itself can no longer be used for its intended purpose (e.g., if all electrical outlets are destroyed), this type of loss will be considered an example of structural damage.

The landlord is ultimately responsible for paying for any repair costs related to structural damages that occur in their rental property—but this does not extend to tenants' personal belongings: renters are still responsible for replacing items damaged or destroyed by fires or floods even if it results from negligence on their part (for example, leaving candles burning unattended).

Time Is of the Essence After a Fire

The most important thing to remember about fire damage is that time is of the essence. The longer you wait before contacting a restoration company, the more damage your property will sustain and the more expensive it will be for you to get it repaired. It’s always best to call your insurance company as soon as possible after discovering that you have been affected by fire—even if you aren’t sure exactly what happened yet or how bad things are going to get. You should also expect your insurance provider to ask lots of questions about what happened so they can determine whether or not they need additional information from you before they start paying out on claims related to any damages sustained by your rental property due to this incident.

If you do have any doubts about whether or not something qualifies as accidental damage caused by fire, then make sure these doubts are addressed immediately so there isn’t an unnecessary delay between finding out about them and reporting them when talking with your insurer or other relevant parties involved in helping resolve claims relating specifically with these kinds of situations (such as real estate agents).

Call the Professionals

If you are renting a home, your landlord is responsible for the property. If fire or smoke damage occurs in a rental property, it is important to contact a trusted restoration company as soon as possible. This will help to reduce the cost and time to repair.

In addition to personal property losses, rental properties can also experience structural damage from fires. As with most insurance policies, there may be exclusions pertaining to certain types of structures or materials used in building them—and this could lead some landlords into an unfair situation if they were not aware of such exclusions before purchasing their policy. It is critical that landlords make themselves aware of what type of coverage will exist for their tenants after purchasing an insurance policy so that they know how much protection they have when one of their tenants experiences fire damage at home!

As you can see, a fire can cause serious damage to your San Antonio property and belongings. If you experience damage in your rental home, give SERVPRO of Alamo Ranch a call, and we will be happy to help! We work closely with your insurance too, so you don’t have to worry about it.