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Lyra123 · Aug 7, 2011, 10:37 AM

Last night a group of kids kicked our door while out pranking. The damage is as follows: screen door dented and bottom half completely broken off, door jam broken, frame broken, lock broken.

We filed a police report last night and are trying to get ahold of our landlord. We rent the house. Will we be required to pay to fix the door? We so far are unable to reach our landlord.

excon · Aug 7, 2011, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by Lyra123

We so far are unable to reach our landlord.

Hello L:

It's on you if you can't find the kids parents. It's NOT the landlord's responsibility.

excon

Lyra123 · Aug 7, 2011, 10:50 AM

Okay. Thanks excon. This is the first time something like this has happened to me so we were calling the landlord to see what to do. That's a bummer though. I guess I'll be spending my birthday looking for a bunch of punks.

Wondergirl · Aug 7, 2011, 10:51 AM

What about homeowner's/renter's insurance?

Lyra123 · Aug 7, 2011, 10:53 AM

We don't have it. We thought about it but didn't get it because we do not have much money

excon · Aug 7, 2011, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by Lyra123

We don't have it. We thought about it but didnt get it because we do not have much money

Hello again, L:

Bummer.. It's pretty cheap, though. I'll bet you'll have it from now on.

excon

Wondergirl · Aug 7, 2011, 10:56 AM

Certainly the landlord has insurance on the place.

Lyra123 · Aug 7, 2011, 10:59 AM

excon, we literally cannot afford it. That's why we do not have it. We barely have enough money even wiith foodstamps. It would have raised our car insurance to 88 a month, which we cannot afford.

Wondergirl, we'll find out once we get in touch. Still no luck

twinkiedooter · Aug 7, 2011, 12:10 PM

You may be responsible for the deductible if the landlord decides to file a claim. Usually a $250 landlord deductable is the norm) Storm/screen doors are not that expensive (around $150) and if you do the installation yourself you can save more money. They are not that hard to install if you have a handy hubby. They usually come with instructions.

Hope your quest for the punks works out but don't hold your breath of the parents paying for this without having to go to court (small claims) and being ordered to pay for this. You could forego having them arrested in lieu of the parents paying for new storm/screen door.

Lyra123 · Aug 7, 2011, 12:15 PM

Thank you Twinkiedooter, very helpful advice! (have to spread the rep though) I've installed one at my parents' house with my dad once, it isn't too hard.

They also broke into a few cars and broke another person in town's door from what I've heard.

Sheesh, I may not have been the best kid but I certainly was never this bad! (It seems odd that I'm calling them kids yet I am most likely the same age if not just a few years older than the culprits)

Fr_Chuck · Aug 7, 2011, 12:37 PM

Not sure what you have as deductables, but 250 is rare now aday, 1000 is much more common

Lyra123 · Aug 7, 2011, 12:40 PM

Yikes! We certainly can't afford that! Still having trouble getting a hold of the landlord. It most likely will be cheaper to replace it ourselves won't it?

twinkiedooter · Aug 8, 2011, 07:52 AM

BTW renter's insurance would NOT have covered this as it is the landlord's property. I work at an insurance agency part time and I asked the agent this scenerio and she said no, the landlord's policy would be the one to pay.

And if you have a landlord who won't pay for this (can't imagine he would want to) yes, it would be cheaper to just get a door very similar to the one wrecked and replace it yourself.
You don't need a fancy one (I bought a really heavy fancy one once and it was only around $200 and Sonny and I installed it ourselves on a rental apartment and took it with us when we moved. (Apt did not have any storm door/screen door so I could do this).

Also, if you have a Habitat Restore near you go there and get a gently used door. Be sure to take the proper measurements of your door along to get the right one. Where I live they have Restores in all the bigger towns and I have purchased all kinds of used building materials at reasonable prices. Check the phone book.

Wondergirl · Aug 8, 2011, 08:02 AM

What about quality control? I was a landlord for several years and would not have wanted my tenants to slap up just any old screen or storm door to replace a broken one. The property was covered by homeowner's insurance, so I would have replaced the door myself and worked out something with the tenants (weekly batch of brownies or cleaning of my car?) to pay any deductible if the damage was their fault.

AK lawyer · Aug 8, 2011, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by Lyra123

... We rent the house. Will we be required to pay to fix the door? ...

Originally Posted by excon

... It's on you if you can't find the kids parents. It's NOT the landlord's responsibility.
...

I don't think so. Absent specific language in the lease, I'm not sure that the OP is liable to the LL. The damage wasn't caused by anything the OP did, and the OP has no responsibility, as to the LL, to insure the property.

Certainly if the OP had done the damage it would be a different story. But if OP can prove that vandals did the damage, I don't think OP is liable.

Lyra123 · Aug 9, 2011, 11:03 AM

The landlord said he would come in yesterday to look at the door, he did not show.

AK, is the call to 911 saved in my roommate's phone and a police report enough proof? (we called 911 right after the door was busted in at 2:15 am and the police report was filed around 4:15am)

AK lawyer · Aug 9, 2011, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by Lyra123

... AK, is the call to 911 saved in my roommate's phone and a police report enough proof? (we called 911 right after the door was busted in at 2:15 am and the police report was filed around 4:15am)

Your calling 911 doesn't prove who did it. In theory you could have broken the door and then called 911 to cover it up. I'm not suggesting you did, but your 911 call doesn't prove that you didn't.

Does the police report say anything more than what you reported?

What you need is actual evidence that vandals did it. You didn't see them do it, right?

excon · Aug 9, 2011, 03:54 PM

Hello again, L:

The lawyer and I disagree. It's my view that you're responsible to return the house in the condition it was in, when it was handed to you, less wear and tear. DAMAGE, no matter WHO caused it, is NOT wear and tear.

I also agree with the others regarding this incident being covered by your landlords home owners insurance. I don't think it would be. IF, somehow it is, the cost is certainly below his deductible. So, somebody is going to have to pay for it, and like I said in the beginning, if you can't find the kids in order to sue the parents, it's on you.

In my view, bothering the landlord with this issue won't stand you in good stead with him when something DOES go wrong that IS his responsibility.

excon

Lyra123 · Aug 9, 2011, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by AK lawyer

Your calling 911 doesn't prove who did it. In theory you could have broken the door and then called 911 to cover it up. I'm not suggesting you did, but your 911 call doesn't prove that you didn't.

Does the police report say anything more than what you reported?

What you need is actual evidence that vandals did it. You didn't see them do it, right?

The cop we filed the report with saw the kids and chased them, and the entire Vandergrift police force was out looking for them that night (as they were doing this to many houses and cars). The officer wrote this in the report.

We did not see who did it. We were terrified and immediately called police after the door was broken and did not open the door until police arrived. The officer however did see the kids who did it.

Lyra123 · Aug 9, 2011, 04:29 PM

Originally Posted by excon

Hello again, L:

The lawyer and I disagree. It's my view that you're responsible to return the house in the condition it was in, when it was handed to you, less wear and tear. DAMAGE, no matter WHO caused it, is NOT wear and tear.

I also agree with the others regarding this incident being covered by your landlords home owners insurance. I don't think it would be. IF, somehow it is, the cost is certainly below his deductible. So, somebody is going to have to pay for it, and like I said in the beginning, if you can't find the kids in order to sue the parents, it's on you.

In my view, bothering the landlord with this issue won't stand you in good stead with him when something DOES go wrong that IS his responsibility.

excon

We are to call the landlord and discuss any time damage is done by anyone or anything or if we want to make alterations of any kind.

Something has gone wrong already, the basement wall blew out during a rainstorm, he came to fix it along with the hole in the ceiling and broken toilet/sink. The ceiling and toilet/sink were like that when we moved in