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MN Private rental property fire due to lanlord altered gas line. Please Help :)

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klabat

Junior Member
I live in Minnesota. I am the tennant

I signed a one year lease to start on July 15th 2011. Yesterday I used my oven for the 3rd time. first 2 times was just to warm things. This time oven was set at 425 (party pizzas!) flames started shooting into the oven compartment from underneath. I called 911 by time firefighters arrived whole kitchen was in flames (everyone got outside ad are ok) The fire marshall determined the cause of the fire as follows : the gas line was not attached to the stove. The gas line had been bent at a 90 degree angle. the gas line had been nicked be a sharp object consitant with a utility knife.

My lanlord redid the floor under the oven last year (previous tennant never used stove and lives next door to me). My lease did state that I was to get renters insurance to protect my property. I did not have it.

Landlord has now said that she is no longer wants to be a landlord and she will refund half of my deposit and return the prorated rent.

Can she do this? Am I liable for anything since i did not have renters?(my lease was something she typed up in a word document its pretty funny)

Is she liable to me for anything as it was her and her husband who put in the flooring? Not sure I can prove that putting in the flooring is what caused all the issues with the gas line.

Any help would be fantastic. I have read the landlord tennant laws of minnesota and can't find anything on this stuff.

Thanks I appreciate the help!
 
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Banned_Princess

Senior Member
I live in Minnesota. I am the tennant

I signed a one year lease to start on July 15th 2011. Yesterday I used my oven for the 3rd time. first 2 times was just to warm things. This time oven was set at 425 (party pizzas!) flames started shooting into the oven compartment from underneath. I called 911 by time firefighters arrived whole kitchen was in flames (everyone got outside ad are ok) The fire marshall determined the cause of the fire as follows : the gas line was not attached to the stove. The gas line had been bent at a 90 degree angle. the gas line had been nicked be a sharp object consitant with a utility knife.

ok, not your fault, not your problem, and they can't charge you for anything, like fixing the kitchen.

on the other hand...

why didnt you have a fire extinguisher? you saw some flames and you ran away? did you even turn off the oven before running out? maybe had you kept a cool head, you could have minimised the damage. panicking over some flames makes some of the damage, your fault.


My lanlord redid the floor under the oven last year (previous tennant never used stove and lives next door to me). My lease did state that I was to get renters insurance to protect my property. I did not have it.

well then your property is not covered. and you violated the lease, to your own disservice.

Landlord has now said that she is no longer wants to be a landlord and she will refund half of my deposit and return the prorated rent.
either that, or make you get insurance like the lease demands, and take the loss to your stuff.


Can she do this? Am I liable for anything since i did not have renters?(my lease was something she typed up in a word document its pretty funny)
funny or not, that is enforseable, and your in violation of the lease. she can request you be evicted for violating the lease. a judge wont throw out the lease because she wrote it, and you find it funny.


Is she liable to me for anything as it was her and her husband who put in the flooring? Not sure I can prove that putting in the flooring is what caused all the issues with the gas line.
she has to fix the kitchen at her expense, (her ins will fix it) being liable to you? no.



Any help would be fantastic. I have read the landlord tennant laws of minnesota and can't find anything on this stuff.

Thanks I appreciate the help!


ok, the reality is you are in violation of the lease. the LL can evict you for this. the way it goes is, she writes you to tell you to fix the violation or move out.

so, you can get renters insurance or leave the lease, leaving the lease makes you liable for the remainder of the lease, or until the rental has been re rented.

if you get insurance, you will have cured the violation, and the lease will continue on with a upset landlord, who will probably not give you a moment of peace until you agree to move.

or you can accept nothing but the full security and prorated rent to leave. like a buyout in reverse. thats what I would get in writing.
 

FarmerJ

Senior Member
Your personal property is going to be a tough battle , heres the deal though , get a copy of the fire depts report and ask your city /coiunty if the home has been officially condemned as not liveable , if so get a copy of that report too. when had rentals in mpls the deal was if your property was condemned LL had 5 days to refund deposit or court would award to tenant 1.5 times the deposit as penalty. I havent read todays paper yet (star trib ) to even see if the fire was mentioned . so what you want to do is if the unit is condemned send to the LL via certified mail a demand , your entitled to refund pro rated for all the days in sept you paid for but will not be able to live there if condemned and full dep refund. NOW if you think you can prove to the court LL was negligent then what you want to do is use fire dept report as to cause your free to take your chances that the court may agree with you. its up to you to verify if the acceleration of deposit is still the deal , try our state govt web page links or perhaps MN tenants union.
 

klabat

Junior Member
thanks farmer!

Banned princess thanks for the actually advice. I think it was pretty sound.

As far as the snide comments- I turned the oven off. I had a fire extinguisher oddly enough a fire started from an open gas line behind and under an oven is pretty hard to put out without getting injured. I am quite sure that you would not have worried about your children staying far away and your life and stayed and battled falmes. That is obviously why you are a "princess"a and I am single woman trying to take care of 2 children.
 

Banned_Princess

Senior Member
thanks farmer!

Banned princess thanks for the actually advice. I think it was pretty sound.

As far as the snide comments- I turned the oven off. I had a fire extinguisher oddly enough a fire started from an open gas line behind and under an oven is pretty hard to put out without getting injured. I am quite sure that you would not have worried about your children staying far away and your life and stayed and battled falmes. That is obviously why you are a "princess"a and I am single woman trying to take care of 2 children.
Oh, I once accidentally started a fire in my mattress, and even tho I knew I was not saving anything, I did everything I could think of, to put it out. (including trying to suffocate it with my hands, and and the pillows... cups of water...) hubby saved the day with the fire extinguisher while laughing at me about the water I was trying to use. I was hurt, but not dead, and I saved my room, my home and my possessions. destroyed the mattress and bedding and we had smoke and fire extinguisher damage tho. it was day time, and I was able to order the kids out without me having to take them and watch them. believe me, they weren't trying to stay inside once I declared there was a fire. even if was night time, they know where our family meeting place is outside if it is necessary. SO....

but I guess it can be claimed you did the right thing, especially if your kids are small.
 

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