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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    7

    Default Tenant Burned Down the Garage

    My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: Minnesota

    While driving to church last Sunday we happened to notice that the garage at one of our rental properties had burned to the ground and was still smoking. On our way back from church the tenant was in the yard so we stopped to chat. He indicated that he had been out in the garage the night before using the wood stove???? but had gone into the house to get a pail from the kitchen and put the fire out before going to bed. Evidently not, since the garage is gone. They have no insurance and 3 of the their cars burned up along with many items in the garage including a pool table that they claim is worth over 10k.

    The wood stove comment was a surprise since there wasn't one in the garage when we rented the house to them and they did not have our permission to install or use one. The police report states the fire was a result of faulty venting of a wood stove.

    This gets worse, my insurance agent dropped the ball and didn't bind coverage on the property, I have notes and they admit that they received all of the appropriate info back from me but the underwriter at this point is not receptive to binding the policy with the fire loss.

    Do I have any recourse against the tenant? Does the tenant have recourse against me for the loss of their cars and stuff that was in the garage? What about my insurance agent, do they have their own insurance for this kind of mistake?


  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Behind a Desk
    Posts
    98,846

    Default Re: Tenant Burned Down the Garage

    Quote Quoting Skyemay
    View Post
    Do I have any recourse against the tenant
    If you can establish that they negligently installed a wood stove, and negligently left it burning causing the garage to catch on fire, yes. (Do they have jobs or money to pay a judgment?)
    Quote Quoting Skyemay
    Does the tenant have recourse against me for the loss of their cars and stuff that was in the garage?
    If they negligently installed a wood stove, and negligently left it burning causing the garage to catch on fire, and the court accepts that you didn't approve installation and didn't even know the stove existed, no. This would be "all their fault".
    Quote Quoting Skyemay
    What about my insurance agent, do they have their own insurance for this kind of mistake?
    You would have to ask your insurance agent what coverage he has. I hope they step up and cover your loss; if not, consult a lawyer.

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