Who's Responsible for Water Damage -Tenants or Landlords - part 4

This Series of Guest Posts by Amie @ Whole Property Management will help with the question...

"Who's Responsible for Water Damage -Tenants or Landlords?" - part 4

Tenants have a role to play in preventing water damage to the rental. Tenant’s responsibilities are mostly limited to their use of the plumbing. Tenants are the party closest to the plumbing, so they have a responsibility to monitor the systems. Here is a summary of the tenant’s responsibilities:

● If the plumbing system is damaged, the tenant will be financially liable if the problem is the result of the tenant’s wrongful use of the plumbing. Where tenants are negligent or irresponsible, they will pay for any resulting water damage.

● The tenant serves as the landlord’s eyes to monitor the plumbing and inform the owner of any issues with the system. If the tenant knows of a problem but fails to inform the landlord, the tenant will be partly responsible if the home is damaged.

● During plumbing emergencies, such as when a pipe bursts, the tenant is expected to limit the damage by shutting off the water supply. The tenant also must protect their own valuables from being damaged by the water.

In conclusion, regardless of who caused the problem, it is the landlord’s responsibility to fix problems with the plumbing and any water damage caused by the issue. After the problem has been solved, the landlord is then free to investigate the cause of the issue and assign financial responsibility for the problem.