Am I responsible when contractors I hired broke tenants' stuff?

[Saikhantal Yu]

Hi all,

Recently I hired an independent contractor (great reviews on Yelp) to fix a few appliances in the kitchen. Things were fixed perfectly, however, the contractor brought some minor damages, for example, scratching a large piece of the wall so heavy marks were left, breaking an espresso machine somehow by putting heavy tools on top of it, and tainting a few tablecloths and other personal items... 

The wall was repainted instantly. Now the tenant is asking me to pay for a new espresso machine and some cleaning service. 

My understanding of the law is that I'm only responsible for the appliances and the wall. It's unfortunate that their personal belongings were affected but it is this contractor whom the tenant should go after. Or they should let their renter insurance kick in. I can help with channeling the conversation. But I'm not the one to pay for these expenses out of pocket. I'm also happy to settle because I want them to feel happy but I also want to let them know that I'm doing it out of courtesy and a good intention, not because I'm obligated to.

Am I right?

Much appreciated!

[Jonathan R McLaughlin]

ok..some of those espresso machines can be very expensive probably worth it for a tenant insurance claim which is what this should be. I suppose they  can save you money in the long run if you are an addict by keeping you out of coffee shops. At least thats what we told ourselves during covid :) 

But unless the guy took a wrench to it in anger your tenant is likely blowing smoke about the damage. I'm kind of fascinated by what they think he did. Maybe, just maybe they knocked off the bean feeder which can stick out above stuff on some models. They sell replacement parts ya know.

Calling BS on it, and I bet they don't convince the insurance company either.