Tenant Vacating / Insurance Claim??

[Mark Douglas]

I'm going to give a tenant a 30+ day notice to vacate by September 30. Last night, they had a kitchen fire, causing minor damages. I'm wondering if I should have them file an insurance claim, or just keep their deposit when they leave next month? Or both??

[Account Closed]

Insurance for rental properties is much tougher than in the past. Filing a claim will absolutely increase your premiums and will make it much harder to shop insurance later. Assuming the damage is small I would pay out of pocket and keep the damage deposit (assuming that's allowed in your lease).