The Great Divide: Responsibilities of Tenants and Owners After a Fire

7/29/2021 (Permalink)

House fire damage in Kaysville, UT

When an apartment fire damages your commercial property in Kaysville, UT, it is likely that both the building and the items inside the affected area are damaged. As the building owner, you are essentially responsible for the building and external structures, whereas your tenants are responsible for their personal items. After the fire has abated, there are things that both you and your tenants need to do.

Owner Responsibilities

Your first action should be to call fire mitigation specialists and your insurance company. This gets both the cleanup process and the means to pay for it started. It also frees you to address other tasks:

• Ask the fire officer for contact information and a time to complete a walkthrough of the property.
• Communicate with tenants to ensure that they are safe and are taking the next steps they need to take.
• During the walkthrough, take pictures and make detailed lists of all the structural fire damage.
• Get a copy of the fire department's report of the incident.
• Put security measures in place to discourage trespassing and further damage.

It is important to know what you need to do after an apartment fire on your commercial property. It is also helpful to understand your tenants' responsibilities.

Tenant Responsibilities

The first thing the tenant should do is secure temporary housing. If they do not have a place to stay and their renter's insurance doesn't cover it, direct them to relief organizations that can assist with temporary housing. Tenants should leave everything affected by the fire in the building so that insurance adjusters can get a clear picture of the damage. Let tenants know that nothing should be removed from the building without the permission of fire officers or the remediation crew.

When an apartment fire ravages your property, you need to have a plan in place for handling the remediation process. Knowing what both you and your tenant need to do can help it run more smoothly.