Hurricanes, Storms and the Tenant, Part 1 — Damage or Destruction?

Part 1 of an ongoing series on tropical storms & hurricanes

It's that time of year again. A tropical storm or hurricane will cause mischief somewhere and damage someone's rental premises. The havoc will interrupt the resident's possession of the premises as well as the manager's income. Here are some important matters to keep in mind:

Damaged and Uninhabitable

If rental premises are damaged in a way that renders them uninhabitable, the resident is not liable for rent for the period that the premises are uninhabitable. The owner is NOT obligated to pay for a hotel or move the resident to another unit (unless the lease specifically says he should).

Repairs should be completed as quickly as is reasonable. This is often difficult in a post-hurricane period, given the great demand on services. Documentation is key to show that you are making best efforts to get the premises repaired.

Damaged but Still Habitable

If the premises are damaged but not destroyed, it is wise to work out some "credit" to the rent until repairs are done. How much of a credit depends on the facts of the particular situation. Alternatively, a wise manager will have a clause in the lease that allows the manager the right to terminate the tenancy in the event the premises are "damaged".

The resident cannot refuse to pay rent. However, some compromise should be reached. If you served a three day notice while significant repairs were ongoing, and then filed an eviction, it is very likely that a judge would consider the damage to be a "diminution" in value. That's enough to mess up an otherwise good eviction case. When repairs are completed, you will be on solid footing to demand the full rent.

Destruction of Premises

If the rental premises are destroyed, the owner might wish to terminate the lease rather than do repairs. Unfortunately, the option to do this is limited. Florida statutes does not entitle the manager to terminate the tenancy under these conditions. The resident can do so, but not the manager.

The manager can terminate the tenancy due to destruction only if the lease says he can. This language is usually found in a paragraph titled "Casualty" or "Maintenance".

If the lease does not contain language that permits the manager to terminate the tenancy, yet repairs are out of the question, the owner may want to "invite" the resident to terminate the tenancy. The manager would suggest to the resident that the resident could give notice to vacate and be released from the lease.