My apartment was broken into and vandalized, am I responsible for the cost to repair the damages?
Wednesday, April 18th, 2012 at
1:35 pm
I currently moved out of my apartment of seven years. I was no longer living there but was still the lease holder for 2 more weeks and still had possession of the keys. Someone broke into the apartment, broke the glass out of the sliding glass door and took the other stationary half with them. My landlord states that since I am the current lease hold I am responsible to pay for the damage. The door was previously broken when I moved in and had never been repaired. I live in Colorado so I was curious if any one new what my rights as a renter are and what if any costs, if any, I am liable for. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Related articles:
- How much would apartment carpet repair cost? My cat loooves to scratch at the carpet at the door of my apartment. She has completely torn up the carpet at the corner of the door. It’s like...
- Does it cost more to repair a broken window if it is on the upper level (21st floor) of an apartment building? If so, by about how much if there is no frame damage to the window. The window is about 7 x 5 feet. All the glass needs to be...
- will i be liable for a broken window that got repaired at my apartment? i was moving furniture around in the bedroom of my apartment. All was well until I moved the big queen size bed -_- I put the bed up in...
- Should I let my apartment manager know about this repair? We accidentally broke the sliding door in our closet and needs to be repaired. What should I do? Do I try to hire a handyman? Would it be cheaper...
- How much would it cost to repair apartment carpet? My cat loooves to scratch at the carpet at the door of my apartment. She has completely torn up the carpet at the corner of the door. It’s like...
Filed under: flat renovation
You are liable. This is why they encourage renters insurance.
Remember that you, as the renter, always have the power in this relationship. Do you have renters insurance? If so, they will take care of the situation. If not, your landlord is responsible for maintaining a safe and secure domicile. If by negligence or faulty workmanship, your home was left unsure or overly vulnerable, again there you go. If however, this was a result of you not being present or not securing the location completely then you are responsible. Did you call the police? What did they say/What is their opinion of what happened?
Your lose your security deposit for certain. Read your lease regarding any particular responsibility. Normally the landlord will have to cover the cost of damages due to breaking and entering. I would look at the cost and offer to go half if it is reasonable just to have my landlord as a reference for other apartments down the road. A sliding glass door isn’t that costly. But if he is asking something ridiculous or if its beyond your means or if he just ticked you off you can probably tell him to keep the deposit and suck it up. A quality apartment assumes responsibility for security and a shoddy apartment may not be willing to go to court over it. Always read your lease first to make sure of your rights.
You only have a case against them if you have asked them to repair the door. If you have asked them, you should have got it in writing. Otherwise, no one can prove you told them the door was not locking properly, and you will be held responsible. That’s why I have renters insurance. It covers stuff like that.