Junk in the toilet

If it can go in the toilet – it will. Everything from hard-boiled eggs to tin cans can wreak havoc on the toilet, pipes and septic tank.

Leaving the water on

This is a common one during a power outage. What happens? The tenants go around the house trying to figure out why the water doesn’t work – leaving all the faucets ON! If one drain is plugged, the water goes on the carpet, through the floor, into the drywall, and into the basement.

Leaving the gas stove on

It’s a fire in the kitchen! Why leave it on? The reasons vary from forgetfulness to using the flame to light smokes.

Not closing the windows

This one sounds harmless enough – not when pipes freeze, rain soaks the carpet or bugs infest the house.

Smoke

Not just cigarettes – all types of smoke: incense, mosquito coils and even BBQs (yikes!)

How to protect your investment

Damage to your property is fit into two categories: accidental and malicious. The items mentioned previously could fit into either category depending on your provider and the exact circumstance.

Accidental damage

The definition usually found on insurance policies: damage that occurs suddenly as a result of an unexpected and non-deliberate external action.

This generally covers small items like wear and tear and damage from pets. In the previous examples, it would cover leaving the stove and water on and not shutting the windows.

Malicious damage

This is when the damage occurred with intention. If the rental agreement states no smoke in the house, that would be considered malicious damage. The same goes with the toilets. Flushing garbage is not an accident. Ignorance is not an excuse for misconduct. Unfortunately, landlords pay for others ignorance.

Insurance is the community’s way of sharing the burden of unfortunate events. Ramey King specializes specifically in insurance for commercial property investors, so when tenants do ridiculous damage to your properties, you’ll be covered. Contact us today for a free quote!