Natural Disasters: What Are Your Responsibilities as a Glendale Landlord?

Natural disasters can happen suddenly without warning. It could be in the form of a tornado, flood, earthquake, or fire, natural disasters cause extensive property damage and displace thousands of people every year. Whenever a natural disaster affects and brings upon damages to a rental property, landlords have specific responsibilities to their renters other than addressing the damage to the rental home. The coverage of these responsibilities is subject to whether your Glendale property is still habitable or not.

As an owner, you already know that all rental homes need to be suitable for human habitation. Notwithstanding of location, all rentals must provide a tenant with water, heat, electricity, and a sanitary and structurally safe building. Although the specific regulations differ, some regulations state that if the rental home does not meet these standards, a tenant is under no obligation to pay rent and may even cancel the lease. They may also be qualified to receive their security deposit immediately in full.

If in case a rental home is damaged by a natural disaster in Glendale, the magnitude of the damage must be evaluated right away. Damage should also be thoroughly documented, in case questions arise later on. If the damage is minimal and the tenant will be displaced for only a matter of days or weeks, your responsibilities as an owner are to fix the damage as promptly as possible. Your tenant may still be obligated to meet the terms of the lease, as well as pay to repair or compensate any damage to their personal property.

If, however, the damage is extensive, or the repairs will take several months or more, it is the responsibility of the owner to determine how to handle the lease. If the home is uninhabitable, you may need to release your renter from the lease and return the security deposit in full. A tenants’ security deposit cannot be used to pay for damages caused by a natural disaster. Besides, if the natural disaster strikes close to the beginning of the month or immediately after a month’s rent has been paid, the landlord may have a responsibility to return that month’s rent to the renter.

Understanding how to react after a natural disaster and which steps to take about the lease, rental payments, and security deposits is something the experts at Real Property Management East San Gabriel Valley have years of experience with. With our team on your side, you can stay calm and confident in the knowledge that even when disaster hits, your Glendale rental properties are in the best possible hands. Please contact us online or call us at 626-600-2884 for more information.