Landlord or Tenant liability

[Tiffany Kohrummel]

My property has exposed power lines. My tenant hit a power cord with a weed eater doing yard work the other day. They (tenants) called PGE to come out and look at the power line and when they fixed the issue with the power line however also said the fuse box was old and needed to be replaced. They shut the power down and won’t turn it back on until it is replaced. I called an electrician and they box is being replaced obviously on my dime. My question is does the liability for hotel costs while they are not put out fall on me (landlord) or on the tenant. 

I guess my confusion comes from the fact that their power was on and working fine. Does the tenant hitting the power line and bringing PGE out make me responsible for their being put out? These are long term tenants i have a good relationship with and i want to assist them as much as i can but i want to make sure legally we’re all on the same page. If it’s my responsibility i would like to own that but if it’s something they should have prepared themselves with renters insurance for i would like some clarity on that also. Thank you!

[Nathan Brown]

CA tenant law requires the landlord to provide temporary housing (like a hotel) when the property is uninhabitable and it wasn't the tenant's causing. Sounds like the tenant caused it this time. That said, what's legal is not the same as what's "right." You've got some negotiation power here to decide what kind of customer service experience to give your tenant!