Should I put Tenants in Hotel?

[Lisa M.]

All,

Im having an electrical issue in a rental and the power could be down for days (The service drop from the point of attachment to the meter base is damaged in 2 locations from squirrels chewing neutral. Needs to be replaced. Possible heavy up. Permits. Inspection etc. which could take days).

If this takes some time, would the fair thing be to put my tenants up in a hotel (5ppl total) until the situation is resolved. Free of charge? Any input is appreciated.

Thanks,

Lisa

[Ray Hill]

I had a small fire due to an old exhaust fan in the bathroom. The ceiling had been ripped apart and it was pretty nasty in the bathroom after the fire department got done with it. I had new tenants, mom and dad plus a 3 year old girl. This happened on a Friday at 4pm and insurance couldn’t get people out to deal with it till Monday. I decided to put them into a hotel and I spent the weekend cleaning and prepping. Monday a cleaning crew came and two days after that I had the bathroom back in order. They decided to only stay at the hotel for two days and came back while I was finishing up.

A couple people told me that it was their responsibility to get renters insurance. I wasn’t sure if they had it or not and didn’t bother asking. When I got to the house that day on my way home from work the fire department was there and everyone was standing out on the street. I didn’t have the heart to let them just fend for themselves. Whether it was the best course of action or not from a business point of view, I felt that since I was supplying them with a home and in that home something they had no control over put them out on the street, I had to make sure they were taken care of. So that’s what I did.