There are many steps that you can take to protect your Ellicott City investment properties from vandalism, but even with all the preparation and prevention, there is still no guarantee. 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 hits, it’s easy to feel a sense of violation and frustration as you sort things out with the police and your insurance company, while trying to repair any damages and provide comfort to your tenants. Understanding what to do when vandals strike can help rebuild your sense of confidence and make the process of recovery that much easier.
The moment that vandalism has been discovered, Your tenants may take it upon themselves to make the call themselves, but as the Owings Mills property landowner you should be communicating with the investigating police officers and make sure that all property damage is documented in an official report. In addition to filing a police report, you’ll want documentation for yourself and your insurance company, too. Taking photos of all the damage is a great and easy way to keep documentation. If you are not able to go to the property yourself right away, you can have your tenant or your property management company handles the documentation.
Working closely with your insurance company is an important step to recover. If the vandalism wasn’t created by one of your tenants or their guests, you are going to be responsible to handle all the repairs. The insurance company should be involved from the very beginning. Even before vandalism happens, it is a good idea to make sure that your landlord insurance policy will help to cover any of the damages. If not, you might have to pay for it out of your own pocket.
Lastly, vandalism can be a scary time for tenants. It can leave behind not only physical damage to the property, but it can also have a lasting feeling of fear and anxiety. Their sense of security has been violated, and they may need support from you that things will be taken care of, including visible documentation that you or your property management company are working hard to restore both the rental property and their ability to live securely in it.
At Real Property Management Metro, one of our main priorities is keeping both your tenant and your rental property protected from vandalism and other unseeable damage. But if vandals do cause mayhem, we will manage all the documentation and recovery process making sure that your rental property is restored as soon as possible. Would you like to learn more? Please contact us online or call us at 443-718-9832 for details.
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