FIRE Do I have a case?

[dumbagain]

What is the name of your state? OHIO

i lived above a business in Cuyahoga county in Ohio of which my landlord owned and operated. the neon business sign of the outside of the building caught fire and burned up my apartment. i did not have renter's insurance and the lease states that the landlord is not at fault for any fires that break out.

do you think i can get anything out of this?
can the landlord/business owner, electrician, sign manufacturer be at fault?
i was returned my security deposit and 1/2 the month's rent at least.

everything i owned is gone. i have a lot of receipts and i took inventory and pictures of the ruins. it is estimated that about $10,000 worth of stuff was lost (not included keep-sakes). An attorney I spoke to said it would probably cost as much to pay him as my stuff is worth.

The following is from my lease agreement:
Uniform Rental Lease Agreement by RealChek America Inc. 7/98
Notice: ...the resident is hereby advised and understands that the personal property of the resident is not insured by the landlord for either damage or loss, and the landlord assumes no liability for any such loss. the resident is advised that...

He made sure that he "highlighted" this area of the lease. this was a very old building and he was a cheap ass as far as repairs and up-keep was concerned. i wouldn't be surprised if he wired the damn sign himself. can i check if the sign and/or building were up to code?

the fire inspection determined that the wiring to the letters of the sign of the business that i lived above caused the fire. i will go get the report today to see what it says.

what do you think?

 

[averad]

what do you think?

Think you should have had renters insurance.

I believe the only legal recourse you would have is if you could prove he knowingly put you in danger. I see this as being a tough lesson you have learned.

 

[dumbagain]

didn't have renter's insurance...i have it now and tahnk god nobody was hurt

all i am saying is, if HIS faulty sign caused this (which is what happened, its proven)
is that enough grounds for me to get something out of this.
i would think that his insurance company is going to go after the sign manufacturer or the electrician..

 

[Ohiogal]

What part of RENTER's INSURANCE are not you understanding. No. You do not have a case. You have no claim against your landlord.

 

[FarmerJ]

The amount of money it might take to attempt to prove that the fire was caused by neglect or poor maint or any ones fault is going to be obscene, Glad to hear that there was no death or serious injury with this fire but if this ever happens again while you have renters ins your insurance co will have the legal teams and resources to try to go after someone if they think fault could be found. The atty you spoke with gave you reasonable advice.

 

[Cvillecpm]

By NOT having renter's insurance, you self-insured your belongings....you will get NOTHING from your landlord or landlord's insurance company.

 

[Who's Liable?]

the lease states that the landlord is not at fault for any fires that break out.

What part of that don't you understand?

do you think i can get anything out of this?

Nope, you were notified in WRITING that the LL is NOT responsible for your personal items.

can the landlord/business owner, electrician, sign manufacturer be at fault?

Definitely, but not to you, to the LL.

i was returned my security deposit and 1/2 the month's rent at least.

Consider yourself lucky! Some people have to fight just to get that back!

everything i owned is gone. i have a lot of receipts and i took inventory and pictures of the ruins. it is estimated that about $10,000 worth of stuff was lost (not included keep-sakes).

Sorry to hear it, but you should've had renters insurance!

An attorney I spoke to said it would probably cost as much to pay him as my stuff is worth.

Yeah... they're *******s like that. He didn't tell you that it would cost that much AND you would LOSE the case!

The following is from my lease agreement:
Uniform Rental Lease Agreement by RealChek America Inc. 7/98
Notice: ...the resident is hereby advised and understands that the personal property of the resident is not insured by the landlord for either damage or loss, and the landlord assumes no liability for any such loss. the resident is advised that... He made sure that he "highlighted" this area of the lease.

What part of all that PLUS the highlited part do you NOT understand?

this was a very old building and he was a cheap ass as far as repairs and up-keep was concerned.

You KNEW the building was in bad condition, yet you STILL decided to live there? By being complacent, you lost your case for sure...

i wouldn't be surprised if he wired the damn sign himself. can i check if the sign and/or building were up to code?

All building aren't up to code 3-5 years after they are built, as all cities adopt the newest NEC code within that time frame.

the fire inspection determined that the wiring to the letters of the sign of the business that i lived above caused the fire. i will go get the report today to see what it says.

Won't do you any good. You didn't have renters insurance AS WAS RECOMMENDED by the LL. The LL will get paid IF he had insurance on the building.

what do you think?

You can certainly fight it, but will most likely lose. Now you know why having renters insurance is a good thing!

I still don't understand why people don't want to pay $11/month for $20K coverage...