Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California
Renting a house that was flooded
The damage to our house was not terrible, but we had over 2 inches of water
on the lower level of the house. Personal property was ruined (shoes, clothes,
pictures, as well as some other personal belongings). There were also large
areas of mold in our lower crawl space (where the flooding must have
occurred first). What are our rights as tenant's and what does the landlord
have to cover? Our losses total over $750 damage to personal goods as well
as the privacy intrusion of our landlord and contractor's in our house all the
time. We also have all of our personal belongings up stairs and spread all
over the house (drying out); it is a lot to deal with and none of it is on our
shoulders.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Renting a house that was flooded
What caused the flooding? If negligence by the owner, he may have liability for some of your items. If caused by the rain storm, then your personal property is your responsibility (renter's insurance is available and inexpensive).