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Apartment fire no insurance

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  • 07-08-2021 8:05am
    #1
    keith824
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭


    Can anyone help and give me advises please? I’m so frustrated. I own an apartment and it was rented out. The apartment was on fire and the insurance was expired. My apartment was completely damaged. I think there is maybe a bit damage to the neighbours apartment. Can anyone tell me what to do? Thanks a lot.



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    #2
    godtabh
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 23,204 Mod ✭✭✭✭godtabh


    What was the cause of the figure?


    on the face of it you will have to replace your contents at your own expense. The structure will be covered by then lock insurance.



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    #3
    keith824
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭keith824


    Thank you godtabh. According to DFB It was caused by plug fault.



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    #4
    keith824
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭keith824


    could you tell me what the lock insurance is and how to claim it?



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    #5
    keith824
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭keith824


    Can the tenant make content claim against me?



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    #6
    Bob24
    Registered Users Posts: 10,905 ✭✭✭✭Bob24


    Talk to the management company and see what is covered or not by the building insurance, but as far as I understand those usually have very high excess and management companies will want to avoid making claims as much as possible.

    I think the tenant would be expected to have their own insurance for contents? (I did have contents insurance as an apartment renter in the past)



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    #7
    GerardKeating
    Registered Users Posts: 7,528 ✭✭✭GerardKeating


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117719755#Comment_117719755

    Anyone can try to make a claim, but it should only suceed if they can prove some negligence on your part, for example if the faultly plug had been previously reported to you and you did not fix it.

    Conversely if the tennant was a fault somehow, if they cause the fire, you might have a claim against them.



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    #8
    keith824
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭keith824


    Thank you Bob24 and Gerard. According to DFB, the tenant left her laptop and print plugged in and the fire started from the laptop charger. They never reported anything fault or to fix the electricity. All the sockets were working perfectly.



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    #9
    K.Flyer
    Registered Users Posts: 8,565 ✭✭✭K.Flyer


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117720093#Comment_117720093

    The management company will want a copy of the DFB report and their findings.

    Given what you have said, you may find that they will not entertain any claim for your or the tenant's losses against the block insurance policy as the cause of the fire was solely to do with your own tenants personal items.

    Does your leasehold / mortgage allow for letting the property?

    The only person who may be successful in claiming against the block insurance is your neighbour if they suffered any loss or damages as a result of the fire. If not, then they may come after you.



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    #10
    10-10-20
    Registered Users Posts: 6,654 ✭✭✭10-10-20


    First off - it's not unacceptable in this day and age to leave electronic equipment plugged in; most IT equipment in standby will use around a watt of power which is not a concerning amount in thermal terms. If the equipment was not powered off/in-standby or misused or damaged, then that's a slightly different story.

    Second off - as you were operating without insurance, the liability for all eventualities such as this rests with you. It's a gamble unfortunately.

    Was the charger an OEM unit (supplied with the laptop) or was it a replacement sourced by the tenant?

    If the unit was an OEM part you may be able to engage the manufacturer with the evidence from DFB and see if they offer any recourse (probably unlikely due to limited liability). If it was spurious (a non-OEM part or cheap universal part) then you're unlikey to have any such luck other than to lodge a civil case against your tenant if it was indicated by DFB that there was misuse of the charger (again unlikely, but one to consider).

    Frankly, I'd be counting my chickens as nobody was killed or harmed (I hope) and the damage was relatively contained. Good luck.



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    #11
    sheepondrugs
    Registered Users Posts: 84 ✭✭sheepondrugs


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117769840#Comment_117769840

    The liability for all eventualities does not just rest with owner. That is why you pay a management fee, usually extortionate; which covers block insurance.

    This should cover damage to walls, windows, re-plastering , damage to ceilings or roof etc.. Contents is a different story and a different insurance.

    The excess on block insurance in my experience was high, around 500 euro. If the charger was faulty, the block insurance provider may in turn seek compensation from the manufacturer or whoever they consider liable.



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    #12
    JimmyVik
    Registered Users Posts: 5,368 ✭✭✭JimmyVik


    OP,

    The block insurance is for exactly this type of thing.

    Contents insurance is different.

    Your tenants own insurance situation is his problem and not yours.

    The insurance company will cover you for the damage apart from contents and then they will go after whoever they need to go after themselves and leave you out of it.

    The block insurance may even cover your furniture etc.

    For a major fire I think you will be happy enough to pay the excess on that.



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    #13
    Jmc25
    Registered Users Posts: 298 ✭✭Jmc25


    Definitely check with your mgt co about the block insurance.

    That should cover structural damage to the apartment. However, in many cases, to reduce management fees, these block policies have a high excess and cover only the very basics - external and internal walls, ceilings and any part of your apartment linked in any way to a communal service or area.

    It most likely won't extend to contents (there's exceptions to this though). And in many cases, what's covered will be very tightly limited and won't cover things like your kitchen fittings, built in wardrobes, bathroom fittings, flooring finishes, painting etc etc. The intention being that these items should be covered on your own contents policy.

    It completely depends on the management company though so check it out with the agent.



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    #14
    beachhead
    Registered Users Posts: 2,295 ✭✭✭beachhead


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117769840#Comment_117769840

    Thank you, guv



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    #15
    keith824
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭keith824


    Hi Guys, thank you for all the opinions and information.

    I have another question. My neighbour suffered from water damage due to the fire in my apartment after DFB put out the fire. The neighbour didn’t have content insurance. My content insurance was expired at the time of the fire. she wants me to pay for the damage of her furniture. Am I responsible for that?



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    #16
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,247 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117804343#Comment_117804343

    Your liability for this would be low. Assuming they were negligent with the laptop, the tenant would have a higher, but not absolute liability.

    Might you have a public liability clause in your own home insurance?



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    #17
    JimmyVik
    Registered Users Posts: 5,368 ✭✭✭JimmyVik


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117804343#Comment_117804343

    Tell the neighbor to check the block policy. If they can claim off that, they pay the excess themselves.

    You have no liability to fix your neighbors furniture in this i would think.



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    #18
    Lantus
    Registered Users Posts: 3,027 ✭✭✭Lantus


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117804343#Comment_117804343

    So you are not liable. They should have contents insurance. Direct them to enquire on the block policy. It won't cover anything other than the building but gives them a direction to go in.



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    #19
    maestroamado
    Registered Users Posts: 4,426 ✭✭✭maestroamado


    My understanding is you can only claim insurance from Management company if you have your own property insures as i expect the rules would have this clause.

    The same rule will apply to your neighbor claiming from you as you said they are also not insured. I think it may be easier in the long for both of you to to take the hit on this....

    sorry...



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    #20
    dubrov
    Registered Users Posts: 3,547 ✭✭✭dubrov


    Get onto the management company straight away. They will have been obligated to have had the block insured to cover this sort of thing.

    There may be a large excess to calling in the policy (>2k) and the management company may insist you cover this cost. If you establish if tenant negligence caused the fire, you may be able to recover this cost from them.

    The block policy should cover any damage caused by the fire to your neighbour.



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