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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2019 18:13:11 GMT -5
I didn't and don't know how to do that. I have insurance that might have covered my water issue. Servicemaster ended up being $400 more than the $1000 deductible so I didn't file a claim. The guys told me when they came back the next day to check the fans that people that they couldn't get to until the second day had water damage where the water seeped up the insulation and drywall. They got to mine quickly enough and I didn't have that problem. They only got to me because I had insurance and the contract with the insurance company said they had to be here within 24 hours. I called in the middle of the night when I first saw the water and they came mid-afternoon. Family came over and we moved furniture out of the area that was carpeted as they told me they charged by the hour and the time they spent moving furniture would be time I paid for. The furniture was high enough from the cement floor that there was no damage to it. Just the carpet and padding were ruined. Sorry, I wasn't really replying to you. I was just commenting on Ava's situation. I wouldn't wait for days for a handyman as it's really important to get that ripped up right away.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Apr 18, 2019 18:15:35 GMT -5
My contractor starts working tomorrow to remove the water damage. Then in May I'll see the lawyer and know for sure if I can get reimbursed for this. I also have to get the heat fixed, but the water damage is more urgent Is your handyman experienced in water mitigation? The sooner it's started, the less damage and mold issues there will be. When my basement flooded, Servicemaster had the carpet and padding out of here the next day and the fans ran for several days after that. Good luck. Those industrial fans are something else. About eight years ago, the water heater in my attic burst. Unbeknownst to be, the water was flowing down into the living area through a closet ceiling. The damn water heater kept on trying to refill its self and of course the water kept pouring through the ceiling. I didn't discover the water until I walked into the master bedroom and the carpeting was soaked. Carpeting in other rooms were soaked too. The 'funny' thing is the closet where the water was draining into was only about six feet away from where I was sitting in the computer room. But I never heard it. The fans ran for about five day, loud as they are. Dehumidifier draining into a bathtub too. At one point, I had painters, closet reconstructors, men with jackhammers breaking up tile on bathroom floors, and the fans and humidifiers all in the house and all working at the same time. Turns out the water heater, while situated in the collection pan, did not have the pipe to the outdoors connected to the pan to drain away spills and burst heaters. The heater was installed before I bought the home. Fortunately, I had home insurance. Thank goodness.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Apr 18, 2019 19:26:19 GMT -5
I didn't and don't know how to do that. I have insurance that might have covered my water issue. Servicemaster ended up being $400 more than the $1000 deductible so I didn't file a claim. The guys told me when they came back the next day to check the fans that people that they couldn't get to until the second day had water damage where the water seeped up the insulation and drywall. They got to mine quickly enough and I didn't have that problem. They only got to me because I had insurance and the contract with the insurance company said they had to be here within 24 hours. I called in the middle of the night when I first saw the water and they came mid-afternoon. Family came over and we moved furniture out of the area that was carpeted as they told me they charged by the hour and the time they spent moving furniture would be time I paid for. The furniture was high enough from the cement floor that there was no damage to it. Just the carpet and padding were ruined. Sorry, I wasn't really replying to you. I was just commenting on Ava's situation. I wouldn't wait for days for a handyman as it's really important to get that ripped up right away. I did think you might be. I would not have waited this long to get moving on this either. My renter's insurance when the pipes in the apartment above me burst (which the complex got on immediately because I heard it and called immediately) wouldn't cover hotel expenses, even though the place stunk to high heaven, the fans are so loud. They said it was inhabitable. I did not agree and went to stay with friends. I later found out that in Colorado when things like this happen, the apartment complex does have to put you in a hotel. Complex was taken to small claims court and lost every case as it was unusually cold and they refused to pay for anyone to stay in a hotel. They did tell me later they would have told my insurance company my apartment was uninhabitable.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Apr 19, 2019 16:00:54 GMT -5
All the plywood has been removed and the place is drying.
Black mold was imminent.
The damage was worse than it looked. I was initially quoted $600 for the water damage but it's going to cost more.
The heat is still not working. If it's just changing the brakers it won't be much. If the whole thing needs repair it will be 1.5k. We've been taking photos all the way to document, and hopefully the attorney will be able to get something done.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Apr 19, 2019 16:14:27 GMT -5
Doesn't sound bad at all. We had a 40 gallon fish tank collapse in our basement last year. We had a restoration company on site within 3 hours, and there wasn't any mold to deal with and it still cost us $3300. I'm guessing insurance probably would have covered it, but we didn't file a claim.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Apr 19, 2019 17:00:53 GMT -5
No, probably not as bad as it could have been.
The water damage, like I said, quoted $600 but it's going to be more. Maybe 1K, I don't know yet.
And the heat, depends. So, guess maybe $2.5K worst-case scenario, plus whatever the attorney charges.
It's not horrible, but it's a big unexpected expense, plus all the stress I've been through. I don't have the money laying around. I had the initial $600 in my savings account. The rest I'll have to pay little by little, paycheck by paycheck, while my 401K is back to the company match only, just because some yahoo wanted to take revenge on their landlord.
Besides the money, I have been depressed, stressed out, not enough sleep, missed work some days, not been performing great when I'm there, and I have lost a lot of faith in the human race. Not just the guy who did this for a laugh, but the landlord and the management company guy have been horrible; yelling and insulting me all the way. Insurance companies not only don't care, but will give erroneous, contradictory, and false information. They just want you to go away without costing them money. People you think you can count on will be all ears and opinions when this first happen. But once they know the story and see the photos, and their curiosity is satisfied, don't want to waste one second of their time supporting or advising you.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Apr 19, 2019 17:11:43 GMT -5
I'm not trying to minimize the pain that it has been, but I'm glad the cost of the damage is relatively cheap to repair.
You've had to deal with some real a-holes through the entire process and that would have worn me out too. I'm willing to pay more to deal with less, and if saving the money is important to him then he's the one that gets to deal with it. Honestly if this had been me and I expected damages to be $1k or less I wouldn't have called the owner or the HOA and dealt with it on my own because it's just easier and less stress for me that way.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Apr 19, 2019 17:13:07 GMT -5
No, probably not as bad as it could have been. The water damage, like I said, quoted $600 but it's going to be more. Maybe 1K, I don't know yet. And the heat, depends. So, guess maybe $2.5K worst-case scenario, plus whatever the attorney charges. It's not horrible, but it's a big unexpected expense, plus all the stress I've been through. I don't have the money laying around. I had the initial $600 in my savings account. The rest I'll have to pay little by little, paycheck by paycheck, while my 401K is back to the company match only, just because some yahoo wanted to take revenge on their landlord. Besides the money, I have been depressed, stressed out, not enough sleep, missed work some days, not been performing great when I'm there, and I have lost a lot of faith in the human race. Not just the guy who did this for a laugh, but the landlord and the management company guy have been horrible; yelling and insulting me all the way. Insurance companies not only don't care, but will give erroneous, contradictory, and false information. They just want you to go away without costing them money. People you think you can count on will be all ears and opinions when this first happen. But once they know the story and see the photos, and their curiosity is satisfied, don't want to waste one second of their time supporting or advising you. Ava-after all is said and done, problems fixed, please think about getting condo insurance. It will save you so much grief and time letting someone else handle all the back and forth between parties. And if you ever rent in the future, consider renter's insurance. Protects you against theft of property and more.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Apr 19, 2019 17:17:37 GMT -5
I didn't know the cost until yesterday. In fact, I still don't know the full cost, I have a ballpark estimate.
But besides how bad it was dealing with them and how much it has affected me, I will consult with the attorney. If there is any resource I can take against them I will. It's not just the money at this point, though I want to be reimbursed if possible, is their horrendous attitude. Touching their pocketbook is the worst you can do to them. I'll do it if I can.
Why would I pay for something I didn't break? I have always been responsible for all my bills, and for any damages I've caused others (like breaking something, making a mistake that costs them money, etc,. fortunately nothing big). It's the right way. I've always taken responsibility and paid willingly with a courteous attitude.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Apr 19, 2019 17:18:26 GMT -5
No, probably not as bad as it could have been. The water damage, like I said, quoted $600 but it's going to be more. Maybe 1K, I don't know yet. And the heat, depends. So, guess maybe $2.5K worst-case scenario, plus whatever the attorney charges. It's not horrible, but it's a big unexpected expense, plus all the stress I've been through. I don't have the money laying around. I had the initial $600 in my savings account. The rest I'll have to pay little by little, paycheck by paycheck, while my 401K is back to the company match only, just because some yahoo wanted to take revenge on their landlord. Besides the money, I have been depressed, stressed out, not enough sleep, missed work some days, not been performing great when I'm there, and I have lost a lot of faith in the human race. Not just the guy who did this for a laugh, but the landlord and the management company guy have been horrible; yelling and insulting me all the way. Insurance companies not only don't care, but will give erroneous, contradictory, and false information. They just want you to go away without costing them money. People you think you can count on will be all ears and opinions when this first happen. But once they know the story and see the photos, and their curiosity is satisfied, don't want to waste one second of their time supporting or advising you. Ava-after all is said and done, problems fixed, please think about getting condo insurance. It will save you so much grief and time letting someone else handle all the back and forth between parties. And if you ever rent in the future, consider renter's insurance. Protects you against theft of property and more. Absolutely. I am about to renew my auto insurance, and I will add condo insurance to the policy. The renewal date is in June.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Apr 19, 2019 17:46:24 GMT -5
I didn't know the cost until yesterday. In fact, I still don't know the full cost, I have a ballpark estimate. But besides how bad it was dealing with them and how much it has affected me, I will consult with the attorney. If there is any resource I can take against them I will. It's not just the money at this point, though I want to be reimbursed if possible, is their horrendous attitude. Touching their pocketbook is the worst you can do to them. I'll do it if I can. Why would I pay for something I didn't break? I have always been responsible for all my bills, and for any damages I've caused others (like breaking something, making a mistake that costs them money, etc,. fortunately nothing big). It's the right way. I've always taken responsibility and paid willingly with a courteous attitude. I would just be cautious of how much you'll pay an attorney and how much more emotional labor you're willing to sink into this. You're looking at taking extra time off work, plus a vacation to recuperate from what you've already dealt with. It's not your job or within your control to teach them a lesson.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Apr 19, 2019 17:50:07 GMT -5
I didn't know the cost until yesterday. In fact, I still don't know the full cost, I have a ballpark estimate. But besides how bad it was dealing with them and how much it has affected me, I will consult with the attorney. If there is any resource I can take against them I will. It's not just the money at this point, though I want to be reimbursed if possible, is their horrendous attitude. Touching their pocketbook is the worst you can do to them. I'll do it if I can. Why would I pay for something I didn't break? I have always been responsible for all my bills, and for any damages I've caused others (like breaking something, making a mistake that costs them money, etc,. fortunately nothing big). It's the right way. I've always taken responsibility and paid willingly with a courteous attitude. I would just be cautious of how much you'll pay an attorney and how much more emotional labor you're willing to sink into this. You're looking at taking extra time off work, plus a vacation to recuperate from what you've already dealt with. It's not your job or within your control to teach them a lesson. I don't plan to invest any more emotion in this. I'll talk to the attorney and if there's any avenue to pursue I'll let her deal with them. I don't plan to talk to any of these people ever again. As for the vacation, yes, I need it.
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Peace77
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Post by Peace77 on Apr 19, 2019 18:32:10 GMT -5
Ava, As soon as you can, you need to save up an emergency fund. $600 isn’t enough to take care of a major home or car repair. It’s not enough if you are ever out of work more than you have sick leave time for. I suggest saving at least 3-6 months worth of expenses.
If cutting your 401k isn’t enough to pay for repairs, you could consider a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC).
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Apr 19, 2019 18:47:05 GMT -5
Ava, As soon as you can, you need to save up an emergency fund. $600 isn’t enough to take care of a major home or car repair. It’s not enough if you are ever out of work more than you have sick leave time for. I suggest saving at least 3-6 months worth of expenses. If cutting your 401k isn’t enough to pay for repairs, you could consider a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC). Thanks for the advice. I consider my Roth IRA my emergency fund. It has 22k in contributions. But I don't want to touch it. I would rather get a 0 percent credit card and pay it off, rather than touch my Roth IRA. I don't qualify for a HELOC, and besides, I don't want more debt. I'm paying off debt and contributing to retirement. That's my goal right now. The person who's making the repairs is someone I know and trust. I'll give him the 600 tomorrow. He's already agreed the rest will be paid bi-weekly as I get my paychecks.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Apr 19, 2019 18:48:28 GMT -5
I could also tap my HSA. I have bills for a root canal and crown amounting to 1.8K. I could submit those bills, get reimbursed and use that to pay for the repairs. I rather not. I rather cash flow it.
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Poptart
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Post by Poptart on Apr 19, 2019 19:40:19 GMT -5
I would skip the attorney and go straight to small claims court, I would also ask to see a copy of the insurance policy that you HOA has on your unit, something makes me question whether they actually even have insurance.
For everyone else out there, please always, always have insurance.
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Bunnysmom
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Post by Bunnysmom on Apr 19, 2019 20:07:30 GMT -5
I would skip the attorney and go straight to small claims court, I would also ask to see a copy of the insurance policy that you HOA has on your unit, something makes me question whether they actually even have insurance. For everyone else out there, please always, always have insurance. Small claims court sounds like a good idea. Also with insurance, water damage is not necessarily covered with regular homeowners insurance. For me, it is a separate rider i had to opt in (for any damage caused by pipes breaking etc). So when getting the insurance, it is worth it to ask for it specifically.
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Poptart
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Post by Poptart on Apr 19, 2019 20:37:05 GMT -5
I would skip the attorney and go straight to small claims court, I would also ask to see a copy of the insurance policy that you HOA has on your unit, something makes me question whether they actually even have insurance. For everyone else out there, please always, always have insurance. Small claims court sounds like a good idea. Also with insurance, water damage is not necessarily covered with regular homeowners insurance. For me, it is a separate rider i had to opt in (for any damage caused by pipes breaking etc). So when getting the insurance, it is worth it to ask for it specifically. This is also very true, I still can't believe her lender allowed her to be without coverage tho.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Apr 19, 2019 21:16:00 GMT -5
Small claims court sounds like a good idea.
The problem with going there is that I still don't know who should I go after. The next unit's landlord's insurance told me the condo association is responsible. They also said the landlord is not responsible for damages caused by the tenant. The condo association management told me I need to go after the landlord.
The association has insurance coverage. I finally managed to get that information from them. But they have a 5K deductible.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Apr 19, 2019 21:16:39 GMT -5
I think I'll do a consultation with the attorney, to get ideas straight and figure out against who I should go in small claims court.
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justme
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Post by justme on Apr 19, 2019 21:43:27 GMT -5
The HOA would, at most, be responsible for any in-wall wiring that was damaged. If you go through your HOA docs it likely says in there that you're responsible for studs in - which may or may not include drywall. The insulation might also be covered if there is any.
But it won't be enough to hit their insurance so you'll be going up against them and then likely their board & lawyer. Which they've already talked to about undoubtedly.
And it's not just because your HOA management seems like an ass. I'm on great terms with mine (so much so they're begging me to be on a committee) and when I brought my issue up she immediately went to see if they'd cover anything. She also sent in our maintenance team to do some mold intervention that as far as I can tell thankfully worked.
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Peace77
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Post by Peace77 on Apr 19, 2019 22:26:17 GMT -5
Please don’t wait until June to get insurance. It can start anytime.
Use your HSA. That’s what it’s for. You will save by using pre-tax dollars instead of post tax dollars (your net income or Roth IRA).
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justme
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Post by justme on Apr 19, 2019 22:31:04 GMT -5
Please don’t wait until June to get insurance. It can start anytime. Use your HSA. That’s what it’s for. You will save by using pre-tax dollars instead of post tax dollars (your net income or Roth IRA). And condo insurance shouldn't be a ton. My appraised value is less than 150k and my insurance is under 500. Though as referenced in other posts mine not be top of the line. Upside of condos - we don't have to insure the entire structure.
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Bunnysmom
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Post by Bunnysmom on Apr 20, 2019 0:38:17 GMT -5
Small claims court sounds like a good idea. The problem with going there is that I still don't know who should I go after. The next unit's landlord's insurance told me the condo association is responsible. They also said the landlord is not responsible for damages caused by the tenant. The condo association management told me I need to go after the landlord. The association has insurance coverage. I finally managed to get that information from them. But they have a 5K deductible. I wonder if you can list both the owner and HOA. I would certainly try both unless there is a rule against listing both.
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lund
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Post by lund on Apr 20, 2019 3:38:10 GMT -5
Check the maximum amounts that small claims court allows.
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seriousthistime
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Post by seriousthistime on Apr 20, 2019 8:48:23 GMT -5
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Miss Tequila
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Post by Miss Tequila on Apr 20, 2019 21:44:06 GMT -5
The flooded unit's owner's insurance called. Said they are not responsible because the tenant left the water running on purpose so it's not the owner's fault. The agent said I should go against the tenants insurance but he doubts they have it. So I called the HOA insurance today and they are investigating. At this point I'm pretty sure they won't cover me either. I called my handyman to see if he can start working on fixing my home this afternoon. I'll document everything just in case. Everything he does and every cost incurred. I also finally found an attorney through word of mouth. She is not taking new cases until May 2 so I'm in her wait list. I just want a consultation with her to see if something can be done I can't believe nobody is responsible for this. I also believe the owner was negligent not mandating renters insurance on his tenants and I want to ask the lawyer her take on this Not to pour salt on a wound, but aren’t you negligent for not having any insurance? I’m a landlord and I do not require renters insurance. I make them sign in the lease that I recommend it as my insurance doesn’t cover their belongings. I will have to check with my agent to see if vandalism is covered
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wmpeon
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Post by wmpeon on Apr 21, 2019 1:00:15 GMT -5
OP, I wish you luck with your lawyer consultation. At the very least, they can hopefully give you some information on local insurance regulations and who is considered the responsible party.
Just a comment, but I would stop referring to the damage-doer as "tenant". He was "former tenant". He was evicted, and had no right or permission to be there. I'm curious what both insurance companies perspective would be had a complete stranger broken into the property and done the same damage.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2019 9:07:42 GMT -5
Small claims court sounds like a good idea. The problem with going there is that I still don't know who should I go after. The next unit's landlord's insurance told me the condo association is responsible. They also said the landlord is not responsible for damages caused by the tenant. The condo association management told me I need to go after the landlord. The association has insurance coverage. I finally managed to get that information from them. But they have a 5K deductible. Our lawsuit over our home cost us $30K in legal fees. The lawyer will probably tell you to go to small claims court or not sue. It's completely not worth the money because even if you win your legal bills, good luck collecting the judgement.
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laterbloomer
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Post by laterbloomer on Apr 23, 2019 21:37:27 GMT -5
My bet is that the landlord is responsible. He rented out the unit, the renter caused damage to your unit. It makes no sense to me that he would have an insurance policy that would not cover deliberate acts of a tenant, from what I hear it's not unusual for a tenant to total the place on the way out the door. But even if the insurance does not cover it, that does not negate the landlord/owner's responsibility. I'm guessing you will be taking the owner to small claims court.
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