Second/upper floor laundry room anxiety question

[Rae Mac]

Hi folks,

I have a upstairs/downstairs duplex, with laundry room on the second floor for the upstairs apt. The flooring is vinyl plank that is water resistant, not waterproof, with no floor drain or anything, and I lie awake at night wondering what would happen if a hose burst one day. There is a water shut-off valve right on the wall next to the washer, but I know I can't trust tenants to shut it off after each wash, because I can't even remember to do that haha.

Questions:

1. If a hose did burst on a tenant, could homeowners insurance cover this?

2. If a hose did burst on a tenant, could I somehow make it part of the lease that the hoses and turning the valve off are their responsibility and if it bursts and causes damage to various floors of the house, it's their financial responsibility (and would they even pay?)?

3. I found water leak alarms on amazon that you can place under the washer for instances like this, has anyone had experience with these and their practicality?

I know this is quite lengthy, but any input from experience or common sense is appreciated. Thank you!

[L. Pritchard]

1) Check your policy. 

2) You can make it a lease policy that a tenant must report maintenance issues to you in a timely manner. Can't really force them to do stuff for you though. It would be in their best interest to shut it off anyways and if you are so concerned then educate your tenants on where all the water shut offs are located. No you can't make it their responsibility for repairs or damages unless of course they failed to report it to you in a timely basis. You can make it mandatory for a tenant to carry renters insurance coverage that would cover their personal belongings if this did happen.

3) Yeah those exist. If they work or not is a different story.

My thoughts. If you are concerned that a line may burst or that the angle stops to shut off water are too old and may not turn or may break when they are turned then spend the money to buy some new braided stainless steel lines and shut off valves and replace them. You will sleep much better at night knowing that these are new lines and working valves.