Without a doubt, you have to take necessary measures to protect your Franklin investment properties from vandalism. However, despite all your best efforts, your property will still be vulnerable. 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.
If you fall victim to vandalism, it’s easy to feel a sense of violation and frustration as you work with the police and your insurance company, making the necessary renovations to your rental home and try to calm your equally frustrated renter. But educating yourself on what to do when vandals strike can help restore your sense of confidence and make navigating the recovery process just a bit easier.
After finding out the extent of vandalism in your property, it is important to contact the local authorities and file a police report. Your tenants may take it upon themselves to make the call or may notify you but as the Franklin property owner you should communicate with the investigating police officers and make sure that all property damage is documented in an official report.
Make sure that you have a record of every damage, taking photos of the vandalism is advised as it would probably be required by the insurance company. If you are not able to go to the property yourself right away, you might have your tenant or your property management company handle the documentation.
Unless the vandalism is brought about by your renters or one of their guests, it will be your job to make all the required repairs. Collaborating with your insurance company is an important step in the process; they need to get involved as soon as the damage occurs. Even before vandalism happens, it is a great idea to make sure that your landlord insurance policy covers this type of damage. If not, you may have to pay for the repairs yourself.
Finally, vandalism can frighten a tenant, leaving behind not only the physical damage but also feelings of fear or anxiety. Their sense of security has been violated, and they may need both reassurance from you that things will be taken care of as well as visible evidence that you or your property management company are working hard to restore both the rental property and their ability to live safely in it.
At Real Property Management Investor’s Choice, 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 615-810-9578 for details.
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