Your tenant just called in a panic, telling you she was robbed. She no longer feels safe living in your rental property, wants to break her lease, and she wants her full security deposit back. The answer is not cut and dry, and generally speaking, the answer depends on who and what caused the robbery. If you, as the landlord, failed to provide a secure unit for your tenant, then you could be held responsible for it. However, keep in mind that your duty and liability to your tenants is limited to what is reasonably foreseeable and only what is reasonable for a person in your position. Let’s go over some details on how to protect yourself as well as your tenants. If the robbery was a break-in (forced entry) and the door or windows were broken, you need to fix those immediately – like within a 24 hours, preferably before nightfall. You can’t expect a tenant to live in a place that can’t be secured. Lack of security goes against the implied warranty of habitability: you must provide a safe place for your tenants to live.

If you don’t fix a broken door or window within a short period of time, you are not providing a safe and secure premise, and your tenant could have grounds to break the lease. You don’t have to provide your tenants with an alarm system, but you might want to consider using or installing one, particularly if you want to keep the tenant. It’s also a good idea to provide as much security as is warranted for the area. A good rule of thumb is to determine what other people in the vicinity do. If you provide comparable security to what the neighbors have, what you are doing would be considered reasonable. Maybe there was a break-in at a neighbor’s house or in someone else’s unit in the building, and you don’t provide an alarm system or bars on the windows. (window bars aren’t even allowed in some jurisdictions.) What if your tenant now feels unsafe and wants to get out of the lease? In this case, your tenant probably cannot get out of his lease just because he feels afraid.

Emotions are relative, and subjective. The fear of danger doesn’t actually mean that danger exists. If the situation is unbearable for your tenant but you have provided adequate security, he can move, but he’s still liable for paying the rent until his lease ends or until you rent to a new tenant. This situation is not ideal, particularly if the tenant told you he felt unsafe. He might have asked to get out of the lease early or requested that you increase security. buy ac unit wholesaleIf you refuse both requests and the tenant does leave early, he might sue you under the implied warranty of habitability doctrine.costs of hvac systems for homes Your tenant may or may not receive any money from the lawsuit – it’s really up to the Judge.window ac unit specifications

Alternatively, if you can work with a tenant, especially one who has been a good tenant and is now truly scared, it might benefit you to try. After all, it’s best to have a tenant who really wants to live in the property, not one who feels obligated to. Sometimes there is value in starting over with a new tenant. If crime is getting worse in the neighborhood and you’re not increasing security, you might have a problem. States vary on how they interpret just how safe you need to make your property. Generally, if crime such as burglary, vandalism and violence in the area increases, you should increase your security if possible. For example, if the porch light is broken, you should fix it. If you don’t have deadbolts, you should add them. It’s in your best interest to make your rental property as secure as possible. If your tenant were injured from a criminal, your tenant might sue you. The court might order you to pay damages to your tenant, particularly if this was not the first case of a break-in at your rental property.

Related: Landlord-Tenant State Laws and Regulations Have you every had a rental property broken into, and how did you handle it?  Did you allow your tenants to leave? photo credit: Broken Window, Alarm System, faces via (license) Join 75,000+ Amazing Property Managers Topics:  Maintenance & Renovations, Property ManagementF-Secure SAFE Internet security for PCs, Macs, smartphones and tablets Buy now Try for free The key features that keep you safe Virus Protection Protect your privacy and security — keep your devices safe from viruses, trojans, and spyware. Read more Virus Protection Virus protection protects you against malware that may collect and distribute your personal information. To prevent infections, F‑Secure SAFE automatically scans all files and applications. If any viruses are found, you will be notified immediately and instructed to remove them. Back Browsing and banking protection Explore the Internet, and handle your online shopping and banking without worries.

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