Tenant caused grease fire in basement apartment

[Brandon Farish]

We have a mother in law apartment in the home we currently live in.  The tenants that are there have been there for 2 years.  Their second year is up in June.  They have been great tenants with no issues.  However, they just had a major accident while melting a candle in a pan on the stove.  The tenant claimed she was melting it, left it unattended and it started a fire.  She tried to put it out in the sink which only made it worse.  There is no fire damage to the kitchen but there is significant smoke damage to the walls, cabinets and ceiling.  She has admitted that this is her fault and that the responsibility is on them for repair costs.  Also, we are squared away with a good lease and they have renters insurance with liability.

We have had several bids for cleaning and painting cabinets.  Just waiting for bids for ceiling and walls.  My question is how do we proceed with the billing.  It's looking like it will cost more than 5k but less than 10k.  Do we pay the bills ourselves then bill the tenants.  Just bill the tenants and they or their insurance pays?  I'm assuming if we use our homeowners insurance our premiums will increase which we'd like to avoid if possible.  We are just looking for a little guidance as this is our first major issue and we want to do it the right way.   Also we are in Utah.

Thanks,

Brandon

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Brandon Farish:

Your only involvement should be to follow through that it's been handled. The Tenants are at fault, so they should file a claim with their renters insurance. You do not need to notify your carrier at all. Let the tenants file their claim and make them responsible for payment to the vendors. You monitor to ensure it's completed to your satisfaction.