To landlords: my tenant had a fire in the kitchen

General Landlording & Rental Properties
6yFollow

To landlords: my tenant had a fire in the kitchen

Ivan Vasquez
Contractor · San Jose, CA · Member since 2020 · 32 posts · 17 votes

Hi. I’m a new landlord. How should i proceed w this situation. My tenant just called saying they just had a fire in the kitchen. They were cooking w a pan filled w oil and started a large fire and damaged the microwave above the stove. Stove and cabinets are fine. We requested the tenant to have renters insurance but they have a $500 deductible. And a microwave is about $250. My tenant is on unemployment due to COVID and just had a baby this week. I also have home warranty insurance on my appliances, not sure this would be covered under it.

What’s the right way to handle this?

0Reply
73 views

Most Popular Reply

Chris B.
Chandler, AZ · Member since 2020 · 295 posts · 272 votes
6y

I think that would be generous and kind of you to install it yourself and save her some money if you have the capability to do so. I also have frequently repaired damage with my own free labor in the past to be kind to tenants in tight situations. I'd recommend not taking it out of the security deposit to protect yourself down the road and also when you give an inch, people take a mile. I've been very helpful to tenants in the past only to have several of them eventually depart with no gratitude leaving damage / trash / unpaid rent which the deposit was insufficient to cover. Keep business as business.

3Reply
See this reply in the discussion

12 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Chris B.
    Chandler, AZ · Member since 2020 · 295 posts · 272 votes
    6y

    I'm not sure what "home warranty insurance" is. If it’s the appliance warranty a lot of people get when they buy a house and costs about $500 a year, then no, that very likely won't cover fire damage. It’s intended to cover repairs on appliances that fail and not ones that are damaged.

    What is the total repair estimate? $250 for a new microwave or is there additional damage? If it’s just $250, replace the microwave and bill the tenant for the repairs. If needed, you could spread it out over a few months. Your choice.

    I'm also guessing a new microwave plus installation and tax is going to be over $250.  Have you personally seen the damage to verify nothing else is damaged?  If not, do so now.  But in any case, the tenant damaged the property and is responsible for the cost of fixing it.

    2Reply
  • Dwayne Wilson
    Rockford, IL · Member since 2017 · 13 posts · 2 votes
    6y

    I'm curious what a more experienced landlord would suggest. I've been told, where the appliance is damaged by the tenant, it is their responsibility to repair/replace. I'll follow this post to see what others say. I'm glad the family is safe and the unit was not completely damaged.

    0Reply
  • Greg M.
    Rental Property Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    6y

    Assuming nothing else is damaged, buy a new microwave and charge her. Keep in mind that legally she is only responsible for the value of the existing microwave. Therefore, if it was $250 new and is 10 years old, she is liable for the value of a 10 year old microwave which may be $30. 

    1Reply
  • Pat L.
    Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    6y

    Another reason I will not install gas & only electric stoves with ceramic/glass tops. Scratch & dent microwaves run $50-$75....or if you're really lucky :----- so for me if they are good tenants it's a wash...

    0Reply
  • Ivan Vasquez
    OP
    Contractor · San Jose, CA · Member since 2020 · 32 posts · 17 votes
    6y

    @Chris B.

    Thank you. I have appliance warranty w first American Home Warranty $600/year and your correct they won’t cover fire damages. I agree the tenant is responsible but feel bad since she’s not working. Everything in the house was new <1 year old so a new microwave will cost about $250-300 and I can install it. I was thinking if she can’t afford to pay for it that I can take it out from her security deposit.

    0Reply
  • Ivan Vasquez
    OP
    Contractor · San Jose, CA · Member since 2020 · 32 posts · 17 votes
    6y

    @Pat L.

    I agree I never feel safe for a rental to have gas stoves. It’s just too dangerous.

    0Reply
  • Chris B.
    Chandler, AZ · Member since 2020 · 295 posts · 272 votes
    6y

    I think that would be generous and kind of you to install it yourself and save her some money if you have the capability to do so. I also have frequently repaired damage with my own free labor in the past to be kind to tenants in tight situations. I'd recommend not taking it out of the security deposit to protect yourself down the road and also when you give an inch, people take a mile. I've been very helpful to tenants in the past only to have several of them eventually depart with no gratitude leaving damage / trash / unpaid rent which the deposit was insufficient to cover. Keep business as business.

    3Reply
  • Theresa HarrisPro Member
    Member since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
    6y

    She is responsible and I would go and inspect the unit to make sure only the microwave was damaged.   As someone else said, you can buy it and she pays you back over the next 2-3 months.  You can feel bad because she's out of work, but she damaged it and needs to pay for it.

    0Reply
  • James Hamling
    Real Estate Broker · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2011 · 5k+ posts · 6k+ votes
    6y

    Thank your lucky stars they didn't burn the entire kitchen up, often that's how those fires go. 

    We once had a major problem with these fires, 3 in 1 month, that's when we added a lease addendum specifically for cooking in that manner and banned it. People still did it, there was still some fires, but there was significant consequences for it. That's all we could do, and make sure every unit had a fire extinguisher. 

    Unfortunately, the big fires didn't take the whole house, just enough damage to make it a big expense and insurance mess to repair, not enough to be a worthwhile claim. 

    Take open grease cooking very seriously, it's a huge problem very VERY prone to fires. 

    We did also beg tenants to use normal store-bought covered fryers, we never had 1 fire from those. 

    0Reply
  • Chris London
    Property Manager · Raleigh/Durham NC · Member since 2015 · 210 posts · 293 votes
    6y

    @Ivan Vasquez, wow, that is quite an event to season a new landlord. I think when you get through this everything else will seem like small potatoes. I'm glad the tenants weren't hurt in the fire.

    The only advice I'd offer is to decide early on what type of landlord you want to be and create processes to make each decision as automated as possible. Your compassion for the tenant is wonderful and I wish more people were like you. Keep in mind however that this can be draining on you as well. I personally believe you can practice empathy toward the tenant and still hold them financially responsible at the same time.

    Good luck and let us know how it goes.

    -CL

    1Reply
  • Rochelle Thea Fabrizio
    Investor · United States · Member since 2020 · 47 posts · 40 votes
    6y

    @Ivan Vasquez I completely agree with @Chris London. There is a very fine line to walk. I started off being entirely too trusting, forgiving, and empathetic. I have burnt myself pretty bad (sorry for the terrible pun here) twice for this mentality. I still try to be very caring towards tenants and flexible but it is as @Chris B. said. You give them an inch and they will take that mile for sure. You need to be fair and firm. Allowing her to pay it over a specified range of time is fair but yet is upholding the lease agreement to the letter, which is what you should be doing. I wouldn't always advice taking it out of the security deposit as that can get messy later, but it is another option and you can request replenishment of security deposit (in most states I believe) after you have used it on a repair. Best of luck! 

    0Reply
  • Karen F.
    Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2015 · 435 posts · 421 votes
    6y

    First go and inspect.  Then, consider what needs to be done to fix the place.  I wouldn't pay to replace the microwave.  I'd let the tenant either live with it the way it is, or let her pay to replace it, with one you agree to.

    There is more damage than you realize with a kitchen fire.  We had a tenant who had one, said she'd fix it all.  Instead, she made things much worse.  She dripped paint all over the cabinets trying to repaint, and when she left, there was still greasy soot on all the walls.  The window by the stove was melted - had to replace it, not easy to do since it was not a standard size.  We had to custom re-make the window.

    We waited until they were out, then charged them for the cleanup and repairs.

    0Reply
Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.
Log InJoin for Free