Kitchen fire

[Deleted User]

I had a small fire in my kitchen and absolutely everything had to be wiped down to clean the black coating off. Everything.You couldn't see it was there but when I started cleaning, the cloth was black. It took quite some time to remove the coating. I would hope that is the least your tenant could do. Flash or a vinegar solution is good. A small deep fat fryer (which won't go to too high a temperature costs £20). I really did know someone who had oil in a saucepan, heated it up, fell asleep and her whole kitchen had to be replaced. And it could have been worse as she had two young children, lived in a flat.

Provide her with a kitchen fire blanket https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blanket-Large-Quick-Unfolding-Loops/dp/B00BM94Y1E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520425326&sr=8-1&keywords=kitchen+fire+blanket.

Get insurance. Unfortunately, some people just have no sense. You need to protect yourself.

Smodlet

Water on an oil fire. There just are no words, are there? Far from being able to rent, these idiots should not be walking around loose, imo.

I think I was about nine or ten when my mother told me what to do in the event of such a fire. It was then dinned into us several times in DS lessons from age 13.

davidmcn

Smodlet wrote: »

No LL insurance. What if a ceiling collapsed and killed one of your tenants? Don't you think you ought to be covered for when their family sues you?

Is that not likely to be covered under the buildings policy?

Mahsroh

Apologies for hijacking this thread, but just talk of insurances got me thinking. I currently have two types on insurance in relation to my rental property:

1. Building and Contents Insurance - With mortgage provider. Insurers are aware that it's a rental property. "accidental" damage by tenant is covered although malicious damage is not.
2. Legal Protection Cover (as part of rent guarantee policy) - gives me legal protection in the event of a dispute or a claim from the tenants relating to health and safety issues.

I think most eventualities are covered within those two, but can anyone think of any instances (aside from the malicious damage) where they may be a "gap" in the policies? I'm now even questioning whether i'd be covered in this scenario where a tenant used water to put out an oil fire! "accidental" and "stupidity" are not two of the same!

Building and Contents is due to for renewal in May so had considered moving onto an overarching LL insurance policy rather than the normal "buildings insurance"... but wasn't sure it was worth it as I've got legal cover elsewhere? What do you good people thiink?

Smodlet

davidmcn wrote: »

Is that not likely to be covered under the buildings policy?

Under normal circumstances, I suppose (hope) it would be but am not sure if LLs are considered a separate case or not. I would not want to risk it but don't pretend to be an expert.

Maybe someone who works in insurance will be along in a bit but just thinking about it logically, the odds of someone visiting my house for a couple of hours and the ceiling falling on them (to use an extreme example) should be very slight compared to its happening to someone who lives there, I would have thought. Given the intelligence of these particular tenants, I would want cast iron insurance for everything under the sun!

MEM62

silvercar wrote: »

Landlord insurance isn't compulsory.

If you have a mortgage and it's a house not a flat, your mortgage company would usually insist on you having buildings insurance. That won't cover you for damage caused by tenants unless you have landlord insurance.

Compulsory, no. Prudent, absolutely! It's just not worth taking the risk of not having it and if the OP has skimped on that then they may have also neglected some of the other things that they should be organising when letting a property. It is therefore worth encouraging the OP to consider these points as addressing them now is much better than having potential problems and expenses further down the line.

Tiglet

AlwaysWorking wrote: »

Do the tenants have a lease and, if so, what does it say?

No. They have a tenancy agreement.

[Deleted User]

I am afraid some people on here use the word lease instead of tenancy agreement. But not sure how relevant the question is anyway lol. It is generally taken as a given that a tenant should repair tenant caused damage. But the OP is aware the tenant probably doesn't have the resources.

The need for LL insurance has already been mentioned so often the OP is probably saying the words in their sleep lol.