He moved two large dogs in without my knowledge and in violation of the lease. As soon as I found out I got a lawyer and when through the legal eviction process in a timely manner. The lock out was 7/2/02. I then had access to the property. The dogs had distroyed most of the carpets, chewed or clawed the woodwork and paint, dug holes in the fenced in yard. He also left the place filthy, with holes in some walls and doors and with so much trash and junk for me to dispose of that I need to rent a dumpster.
A tenant brought a dog in a rental house witnout my knowledge and I legally had him evicted. The lock out was today. There is about $10,000 in damage. I intend to sue him but who knows if I can find him. Could my home owner’s insurance cover this loss? Any ideas or suggestions?
your insurance company will pay conditional on you subrogating your rights to them. This means you agree to assist them in prosecuting the vandal both civilly and criminally. I had to file a criminal complaint against my dirtbag which eventually was dismissed (he blamed his ex-wife for the vandalism and I couldn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was him) however the good part was when the police followed up on my complaint they found out scumbag had a dozen outstanding warrants and I was the only one who knew where he was! Surprise, he spent a good few days in jail so I got my money back and a little revenge to boot!
Yes, your insurance should cover vandalism. Check the policy terms and conditions. Also, don’t give up on trying to find this rat. Use a private investigator if needed – they’re not that expensive–there’s a guy here in Michgan that charges $100 to find anyone, anywhere. Track him until the day he dies if needed and slap liens on his car, paycheck, tax refunds, disability checks, tools, etc. He’ll eventually pay up.
The Cash Flow Institute has a cheap course on collecting liens (Joe Kaiser does too). You can use those priciples to collect your money without hiring a lawyer. It’s not that hard.