Fire damage to property

[Bridget Smith-Osbourne]

Hey BP Members,

My situation on hand is my SFR suffered fire damage due to an unattended stove. As per tenant the wrong burner was turned on and a pan of grease left on stove caught on fire. The result is I probably have a few thosand dollars worth of damages. New stove & vent needs replacing, sheetroock work. Some wires in attic needs replacing and I have a golf size hole in roof, amongst other things. The fire department turned off power and removed electrical meter. Should the tenant be responsible for the damages since their neglect caused the fire or do I need to report this to my insurance company. I do not want my insurance dropped or have premiums increased. I feel it is unfair for me to swallow the damaged since they caused it. Would u continue with their tenancy? All feed back is appreciated.

[Jim Sokoloff]

I'd go to my insurance policy for sure. They may choose to come after the tenant ("subrogate"), depending on the total payout. If the tenant has renter's insurance, your insurance is more likely to subrogate. If your insurance wins subrogation, they will often collect your deductible as part of that process (and return it to you).

This is exactly what you have insurance for. Use it!

Focus on getting the property repaired and the CoO back; worry about your insurance rate later.

Fortunately no one was hurt, though that sounds like more than a "few thousand dollars" of damage.