Tenant Grease Fire Last Night

[Justin Sheley]

Today we were notified that a great fire occurred at one of our rental properties around midnight last night. The tenant put the fire out, but it has destroyed the stove and cabinets above it, and coated the entire house with smoke damage. Since today is a Saturday I’ve called my insurance agent and left a message, but am curious if anyone has experience in a situation like this. Since the fire was due to negligence by the tenant what is their responsibility to pay for damages? I do have a clause in my lease that allows me to terminate the lease if the property becomes inhabitable, so I plan on doing that, but am unsure the timing involved in cutting ties with the tenant.