Fire Damage in a Rental Property in Coachella

A fire in a rental property has two parties, two insurers, and one record — and the record is what decides how the claim goes. The tenant calls first, the landlord calls next, and the provider photographs everything before anything is moved or cleaned. This post explains the landlord steps, the tenant steps, who calls whom, and what the record needs to show for the claim — with no legal advice, because the lease and the policy are what decide the obligations.

The second thing to understand is that the lease and the policy are what decide the obligations, not this post. The landlord's insurance usually covers the structure, and the tenant's insurance usually covers the contents, but the split depends on the lease and on the policies. Whether a loss is covered is the insurer's decision, not the provider's, and the provider's job is to make the record complete.

The Tenant's First Steps

Get everyone out and call 911 from outside. Do not stop for belongings, for pets, for paperwork, for anything. A house fire moves fast, and the smoke fills the rooms long before the flames reach you. Call 911 from outside the house, from a neighbour's phone if yours is inside, and stay outside until the fire officials say it is safe to go back in.

Call the landlord, and call your own insurer. The landlord needs to know the property has been damaged, and your insurer needs to know your contents have been damaged. Get the claim number in writing from your insurer, and write down the name and number of everyone you speak to. The claim number is the thread the whole file hangs on.

Photograph your contents before anything is moved or cleaned, where it is safe to do so. Photograph every room, every item, and every surface, and take video as well as photographs, narrating as you go. The photographs are the record your insurer will read, and the record the provider works from. Do not throw anything away without photographing it first. A room that is cleaned before it is photographed is a room the claim cannot see, and a room the claim cannot see is a room the claim cannot pay for.

The Landlord's First Steps

Call your insurer, and report what happened in plain words: which property, which unit, how far the fire went, and what the fire department said. Get the claim number in writing, and write down the name and number of everyone you speak to. The claim number is the thread the whole file hangs on, and it is worth keeping somewhere you will not lose it.

Call (561) 566-7293 and describe the fire — which property, which unit, how far the smoke went, whether the fire is fully out, and what now looks wet, blackened or scorched. The provider will tell you whether the job needs a visit, and what the visit will cover, before any work starts. The provider will not quote a price over the phone, because a price without a walk-through would be a guess.

Secure the property. A fire-damaged rental is an open property: broken windows, damaged doors, holes in the roof. The provider boards up windows and doors and tarps damaged roof sections, usually on the first visit, so the property is weathertight while the rest of the job is planned. Insurers expect a landlord to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage after a fire.

Who Calls Whom

The tenant calls 911 first, then the landlord, then the tenant's own insurer. The landlord calls the landlord's insurer, and the landlord calls the provider. The provider calls no one — the provider photographs, maps, and records, and the record goes to both parties for their files and their claims. The record is the one thing both parties share, and it is what decides how the claims go.

The tenant and the landlord should talk to each other, and should share the record. The tenant's photographs of the contents and the landlord's photographs of the structure are two halves of the same file, and the file is stronger when both halves are together. The provider's record — the photographs, the inventory, the moisture readings — goes to both parties, so the file is complete.

If the tenant and the landlord disagree, the lease and the policies decide it, not the provider. The provider cannot decide who is responsible, and will not tell either party what the claim is worth. What the provider can do is make the record complete, and the record is what the insurers read. The provider's record goes to both parties, so the file is complete and both claims are decided on the same record.

What the Record Needs to Show

The record needs to show the damage as it was, not as it was after the cleanup started. Photograph every room, every item, and every surface, before anything is moved or cleaned, and photograph the outside of the property too: broken windows, roof damage, water stains on the walls. The photographs are the record the insurers will read. Keep the originals and a backup copy, and keep the file together, because a claim can be reopened and the file is what it is reopened on.

The record needs to show what was removed, and when. The provider lists and photographs every damaged item during the pack-out, and the list goes into the file alongside the tenant's list and the landlord's list. If the lists differ, the photographs decide it, which is another reason to photograph everything before anything is moved.

The record needs to show the drying. The moisture is read every day, and the walls are closed only when the readings say the moisture is normal — not when the surface feels dry, and not when the calendar says it is time. The readings decide, and the readings are what keep the job honest. The provider will show you the readings, because the readings are the record.

The Tenancy and the Repair

The tenancy depends on the lease and on the damage. If the property cannot be lived in, the tenant may need to move out while the repair is done, and the lease and the policy are what decide what happens next. The provider cannot advise on the tenancy, and will not tell either party what the lease says — the lease is the answer, and it should be read. The provider will tell the landlord what the repair needs and how long it will take, and the tenant should be told too, because the tenant is the one who lives there and who will live there again when the job is done.

The repair depends on the assessment. The provider maps the damage on the first visit, and the scope is written down and agreed with the landlord before the work starts, so there are no surprises halfway through. The tenant should be told what the repair will need and how long it will take, because the tenant is the one who lives there — or who will live there again.

The property is ready again when the rooms are clean, dry and rebuilt, and the contents come back last. The provider will walk the property with the landlord at the end, room by room, and the job is not finished until the landlord has seen it and the readings say the moisture is normal. The smell is the last thing to go, and it is the thing that tells you whether the job is done.

Fire Damage in a Rental Property, in Order

1. Tenant calls 911 — Everyone out, pets included. Call from outside and stay out until fire officials say it is safe.
2. Tenant calls landlord — The landlord needs to know the property has been damaged, and the tenant calls their own insurer too.
3. Landlord calls insurer — Report what happened in plain words, and get the claim number in writing.
4. Provider photographs — The provider photographs everything before anything is moved, and the record goes to both parties.
5. Repair follows — The scope is agreed with the landlord, the repair follows the cleaning and drying, and the property is ready when the readings are normal.

Mistakes That Hurt a Rental Claim

• The tenant not telling the landlord promptly
• The landlord not securing the property after the fire
• Cleaning or throwing things away before they are photographed
• The tenant and the landlord keeping separate records instead of sharing one
• Agreeing a settlement before the full damage is known

For help with this in Coachella, see Commercial Fire Damage Restoration in Coachella — or go back to the Coachella fire damage restoration home page.