Topic: Resident Personal Property Loss

Even though we require Renter's Insurance, they don't always cover resident's losses or the deductible isn't worth filing a claim.

I need to establish a company policy on reimbursements to tenant's who have personal losses due to our equipment failure or maintenance negligence, etc.

I have had two requests recently where I have had to say "No, we can't help you with that." It's really bothering me, because if it were my property, I would offer some assistance.

I just wanted to check to see how everyone else dealt with this one:

"Loss of food when the refrigerator goes out."

We are having an epidemic of this issue and residents have been asking if we are going to replace their loss.

Of course, I tell them to call their renter's insurance company, only to find the have a $100 deductible or they don't cover that.

Any opinions on this one?

Thanks!

You are a great professional for caring about your resident’s happiness Sandy!

The first thing I'd be looking into is why the epidemic of the issue with the fridges going out? Anything proactive action could greatly reduce the amount of residents in affected in the future.

I realize budgets play a factor, but do you have any coolers to loan while their appliance is being replaced/repaired? Maybe there’s a fridge at the clubhouse or a model apartment that could be used?

If not, I'd definitely suggest something like a personalized apology card with a gift card to a local grocery store. Maybe partner with a local pizza place that would offer you a discount so that if the fridge goes out late in the day, you could make sure you at least get them dinner that evening as an attempt to show you care and are so sorry for the inconvenience.

It’s in circumstances like this one, where you may not be obligated to act, but find a way to go above and beyond to help anyway, that your Residents will see how much you value their time, money and overall well being. Use this “pitfall” to really showcase your superior customer service skills that remind your residents why living at your community is so great. You can’t promise things won’t ever go wrong, however, you can assure them that you jump at the opportunity to make things right again!

Good luck Sandy!

Kelly

This is a tough one Sandy. We are fortunate to have the space available to store a spare fridge, so when one goes out, we can switch it before the food goes bad. I also have a dorm sized mini fridge that I can loan out, and we have a large fridge/freezer combo in in our clubhouse. The most important thing though, is to go over the policy at move in. When signing the rental agreement I read aloud to them that we are unable to pay for "resident losses." due to malfunctions that are out of our control.

You have no more control over a tenant's refrigerator going out than you do in your own home. All you can do is get it replaced as soon as possible. The tenant may want to fill an ice chest or take their food to a friend/neighbor's house if it's going to take more than a day. But you, as a property manager, are not responsible for the loss of food when the unit goes out. Remember whatever you do for one resident you will have to do for all under the same circumstances.