Auto Insurance Claims: fire damage in rental house, hi mary, rental insurance

Question
My renters just told me they started a kitchen fire in my rental property.  I
know that the stove/microwave and some cabinets are damaged (I'm viewing
the property tomorrow).  My tenants told me they do not have rental
insurance.  I am nervous about claiming this on my insurance as my primary
home had two claims on it years ago and they sent me a nasty letter a few
years ago stating I had better not have any more claims or they might drop
me or raise my rates.  My rental home is under the same insurance company.  
So should I claim this against my policy or pay for it myself?  If I pay for it
myself, can I charge my renters for the damage?

Answer
Hi Mary Jean,

You should first determine what the cost of the repairs would be before you decide to make a claim. If the repairs are reasonable and you can afford to pay them ourt of pocket then you should do so.

I am not an expert on landlord tenent situations, but I would think that since the tenent caused the damage that they are responsible to pay for it. Depending on the cost of repairs you may be able to have them pay the cost by increasing the rent by an amount needed to pay you back within a year. However, you should write up a formal note for them to sign indicating how much they owe you as well as the payment terms and the fact that if they vacate the unit that they will still be responsible to pay for the balance of the repair costs.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh