Insurance Claim For Damage By Tenants a Year Ago

weezlebub on 09/12/2021 - 14:19
Last edited 09/12/2021 - 15:18 by 1 other user

Sooooo, I just got an insurance renewal form from my insurance company and completely forgot that I even had home insurance …

I'm was intending to out of pocket fix some damage that a tenant did about a year ago (I've had the policy the whole way though) but now i see this, i should probably just get it all done at once with a claim …

If the damage was done to different areas of the house at different times by the same tenant, but I only realise when I take the keys back and move in, can this be considered a single claim?

Is there a time frame that things have to be lodged?

I should probably just call the insurance company, but this might lead to some more stimulating conversation than an hour on hold :)

An idea of the damage:

  • Glass bar top cracked
  • Concrete fireplace broken (it's a ledge, the chunk is about 30cm each side triangle and 5cm (all the way) deep
  • 3 broken windows
  • 2 cracked windows
  • A couple of lights were working, but aren't - given the age of the house it might just be wear and tear but …
Home & Garden Home Insurance Insurance

Comments

  • Hybroid on 09/12/2021 - 14:20
    +5

    Read your PDS?

  • holdenmg on 09/12/2021 - 14:31
    +4

    Take it out of their Bond?

    • weezlebub on 09/12/2021 - 15:01

      tenants are long gone, bond was taken in unpaid rent

      • CMH on 09/12/2021 - 16:32
        +8

        That's your mistake. That's not what the bond is for.

        Hell, the tenants could sue you for the bond back at this point, and legally they'd win. You'd have no recourse as you would have needed to notify them of all that damage on the final inspection, and if you did you should've sent them the bill then.

        Good luck!

        • bobbified on 09/12/2021 - 21:16
          +3

          Hell, the tenants could sue you for the bond back at this point, and legally they'd win.

          The tenants can't sue for shit. The bond can be claimed by the landlord if the tenant owes rent.
          (The tenant is not supposed to use the bond to pay rent though).

          • CMH on 09/12/2021 - 23:34
            +1

            @bobbified: My bad, you're right.

            Not supposed to use the bond to pay rent, but can be taken if rent is owed.

          • fredblogs on 10/12/2021 - 12:59

            @bobbified: What should've OP done given rent + damage is more than the bond? VCAT?

            • bobbified on 10/12/2021 - 13:18

              @fredblogs:

              …rent + damage is more than the bond?

              If tenant doesn't pay up the extra, OP claims through his insurance. The insurer would then decide whether to try to recover it from the tenant.
              If there's no insurance, then OP has to pursue legal action himself - either through VCAT or through the courts.

    • AustriaBargain on 09/12/2021 - 21:33

      James Bond? What if he's not in the mood to hand it over.

  • SF3 on 09/12/2021 - 14:31
    +4

    I should probably just call the insurance company

    Yes.

  • AndyC1 on 09/12/2021 - 14:32
    +1

    Ask the insurance company and take photos and get quotes.

  • MS Paint on 09/12/2021 - 14:33
    +8

    completely forgot that I even had home insurance …

    Who does that?

    • Nugs on 09/12/2021 - 14:43
      +8

      Q: Who does that?
      A: weezlebub
      .

      • weezlebub on 09/12/2021 - 14:58

        very true - i drink too much :)

        well, that & i have a 9-5 job, do some consulting, some mentoring, some volunteer work and am partners in a business so i'll have a few days a week that run from 6am to midnight … FUN!

  • pharkurnell on 09/12/2021 - 14:55
    +6

    The last thing I'd do was ask the insurance company… I'd ask OzOracle first.

    • weezlebub on 09/12/2021 - 15:01

      exactly :)

      insurance will probably throw it in my face as the damage was a year ago, but worth a shot

    • AndyC1 on 09/12/2021 - 17:31

      I don't like Oracle the company……, but append an Oz and it's okay.

  • AdosHouse on 09/12/2021 - 14:56
    +4

    I think the bigger question is, who has a glass bar top in a rental?

    • weezlebub on 09/12/2021 - 15:00

      it's my house, very strange design (think round house) as part of the design, there's a big open area in the middle with a support beam that they decided to build a bar around it - gotta love the hippies of the late 50's …

      i moved interstate for work and rented it to my sisters friend who's partner happened to enjoy illicit substances and things went a little sideways from there

      • AdosHouse on 09/12/2021 - 16:25

        I can picture the type of house you're describing, in my head.

        Crap scenario, especially being a friend of your sister. If you do an insurance claim, and the friend is found at fault, they will chase after the friend for the money. Is this a scenario where friend will tell sister and cause tension in the family?

  • firestormx on 09/12/2021 - 15:29
    +1

    Read the PDS and check the indemnity period for the policy. If the damage is still within the indemnity period, you should be able to make a claim, but you may need to supply evidence such as reports from the property manager etc to prove that the damage occurred within the indemnity period.

    • weezlebub on 09/12/2021 - 15:39

      self managed rental property, property managers charge too much :)

      but good advice, i'm still going to have to find some time to call them :\

      • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 09/12/2021 - 18:52
        +2

        Property managers are generally hopeless, but here you are forgetting you have insurance and damage at the rental a year later…

        • solidussnake on 09/12/2021 - 19:35
          +1

          And then posted it on ozbargain for all to see… this guy is going places !!

          • weezlebub on 10/12/2021 - 10:25

            @solidussnake: i don't want to do anything doggy, so i'm happy for insurance company to read it :)

  • redvaldez on 09/12/2021 - 17:36
    +3

    Your insurance specifically covers you as a landlord?

  • elgrande on 09/12/2021 - 21:56
    +1

    Do you even landlord bro?

  • Euphemistic on 10/12/2021 - 06:51
    +1

    Did you have a formal lease in place? If not, might be hard to prove it was tenants who did the damage.

    • weezlebub on 10/12/2021 - 10:26

      yes, formal lease, lodged with tenancies …

      not 100% if the policy is land lord or home & contents, will have to check that, thanks!

  • WreckTangle on 10/12/2021 - 06:53
    +1

    My insurance only covers me if i use a licensed property manager.

    • SlickMick on 10/12/2021 - 10:29
      +1

      I really gotta check my insurance. I've occasionally heard I need a fixed-term agreement in place, now a property manager. Sheesh. I sure hope I'm not (un)insured with a company with these rules.

      Hmm I wonder if I could ask for my money back if it turns out I haven't been covered for all these years I've been paying premiums for nothing.

      • weezlebub on 10/12/2021 - 10:56

        probably not :\

        the only time i made a claim on land lord insurance, i was lucky, my good mates wife was the team leader so she recused herself but her colleagues went gentle on me :)

  • Noblejoker on 10/12/2021 - 09:51
    +1

    The majority of these incidents are:
    1. wear and tear = maintenance, and/or
    2. likely to have happened on separate occasions

    The broken windows for example likely occurred individually
    If you claim and have to pay an excess, you would pay that per claim
    Even if your excess is only $300 and maybe more, this would make it not economic to claim

    With other damages, unless it was clearly in violation of the lease or an intentional/deliberate act of vandalism some insurers may not cover it either
    And it certainly doesn't help that this all happened over 12 months ago

    By all means contact your insurer and use the service you paid for
    But honestly as a Landlord these are the type of things I expect my property manager to stay in front of
    Or if I have not used a property manager, then manage myself - or pay the bill :(

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