Tenant's responsibility after a house fire

[Donna Allen]

I have a question from the tenant's perspective. A friend of mine had a house fire last week in the house that she has rented for the last 11 years. It is uninhabitable, and all of her personal property has been removed. What else is she responsible for, or what should she expect from her landlord. The investigation is incomplete, but it is suspected to have been a short around the breaker box - no fault of the tenant that started the fire.

[Kim Meredith Hampton]

Donna,

The homeowners insurance should cover the damage. If your friend did not do anything to cause the damage, she should be OK, but always important to have renters insurance. Most of the time, depending on the lease agreement, if the house becomes uninhabitable, then the rent is abated for the time that the tenant can not occupy the home. She would need to work out with the owner of the property if it is possible for her to return anytime soon as long as the damage was not extensive.