Vandalism has to be one of the most horrifying things for property owners; the good news is that there are plenty of actions that you can make to make sure you are protecting your Lubbock investment properties from vandalism. Despite all that you do, there is never a guarantee, and with roughly 15% of homes targeted by vandals each year, it is likely that one or more of your rental homes may eventually be hit.
When vandalism occurs, it can put you in a place where you feel a sense of violation and frustration even as you deal with the authorities and your insurance company. While on the process of repairing your property, try and appease your renters too as they are equally as frustrated as you. The secret to overcoming these scenarios is to be aware of what are the things that you can do when vandals strike so you can be confident about everything and therefore help ease the recovery process.
Once you discover vandalism, it is important to contact the local authorities and file a police report. Otherwise, your tenants could make it their burden to call the police, or they might let you know and wait for you to make the statement instead. Either way, as the Lubbock property owner, you ought to communicate with the investigating police officers and make sure that all property damage is documented in an official report.
You have to make sure that you have proper documentation for the vandalism for yourself and more importantly, your insurance company. Taking photos of the damage is the best option to consider, and if in case you are not able to go to the property yourself immediately, you might have your tenant or your property management company handle the documentation.
If the vandalism was created by your renters or one of their guests, you can require them to pay for it. If not, it will be your responsibility to do so. Making sure that you work alongside your insurance company is an essential step in the process as they must be involved as soon as the wreckage happened. Before you become a victim of vandalism, it good to check if your landlord insurance policy covers this type of damage. Otherwise, you may have to pay for the repairs yourself.
More importantly, vandalism can threaten a tenant, leaving behind not only the physical damage but also emotions ranging from fear to anxiety. Their sense of security has been diminished, and they may demand both encouragements from you that everything will be taken care of as well as indisputable proof that you or your property management company are managing your best to reestablish both the rental property and their capacity to live safely in it.
At Real Property Management Services, one of our top priorities is keeping both your tenant and your rental property safe from vandalism and other preventable damage. But if vandals do make a mess, we will handle the entire documentation and recovery process for you and make sure that your property is restored as soon as possible. Would you like to learn more? Please contact us online or call us at 806-853-6546 for details.
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