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Opinion: Personal property damage resulting from condition of rental property?

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NobodyOfCnsqnce

Guest
Wisconsin:

One car garage supplied by landlord as part of the lease. Condition of garage on rental fairly shoddy, a great deal of material including boards and bedframes stored above the rafters.

Unexpected damage to windshield of the vehicle stored in that garage occured when a board fell from the rafters. Based on the fact that the damage resulted from the existing condition of the rental property, in anyone's opinion does the landlord have any liability to cover the damages?

Thanks in advance for any opinions offered.
 


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NobodyOfCnsqnce

Guest
Did you file a claim with your auto insurance company?
Unfortunately, we do not have comprehensive auto or any other type of coverage that would cover the damage. This occured today, we haven't even gotten a chance to contact a glass repair shop.
 
R

rentertooo

Guest
YOU are responsible for the damage to your car.

In order for the landlord to be responsible, there would NOT have been anything in the rafters and then something broke and cracked your winsheild.

By you knowing it was unsafe YOU took the risk, and you lost.

What would be the PROPER course of action?

Park the car outside of the garage, take pictures of all the junk, and send a letter to the landlord saying this condition of the garage violates the terms of the lease and you would either want him to full claen it out or the lower your rent by say $50 amonth since the gargae is unuable and you are paying for it since it was advertisd and in the lease.

Now if there was NO mention of the garage in the ad in the newspaper or in the lease, then technically it is provided as a courtsey and you are fully taking the risk of parking in it.

But if the landlord wants to charge rent for it, by jacking up the rentand advertising as witha gargage,, or adding a charge to thelease then he is responsible for its condition.

But you knew it could be dangerous yet you still park in there....
 

Cvillecpm

Senior Member
Claim on your auto insurance AND make sure the property owner knows of the damage. You don't want to be held responsible AND you don't want to be held responsible.
 

I AM ALWAYS LIABLE

Senior Member
Cvillecpm said:
Claim on your auto insurance AND make sure the property owner knows of the damage. You don't want to be held responsible AND you don't want to be held responsible.

Cvillecpm:

Perhaps you missed this, but our writer had already said:

"Unfortunately, we do not have comprehensive auto or any other type of coverage that would cover the damage. This occured today, we haven't even gotten a chance to contact a glass repair shop."

Also, I don't quite understand what you were saying in the following:

"You don't want to be held responsible AND you don't want to be held responsible."

IAAL
 

Cvillecpm

Senior Member
You don't want to be responsible for any damage to the owner's property. You don't say how the item fell onto your car - you hit a post, wall, etc. If something fell and you did not cause it to fall, then what happened?

If it is not a matter of claiming on your auto insurance, then claim on your renter's insurance. If you have no insurance, then you now know why you should.

In insurance parlance....you had custody, care and control of the garage, all that happens inside it is your responsibility. The fact that items were stored in eaves/rafters and fell would be your responsibility under property owner's insurance....
 

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