Sorry to hear about the fire. It's a tough event to work through. Its also a tough situation for the uninsured tenant. They are looking for someone else to take on their responsibility. Even with a lease, you can be sued. The lease would help your defense considerably. If you do get sued, your insurance company will likely attempt to subrogate the claim to the carrier who insured the source of the fire. Stay in contact with your insurance carrier throughout the process. Let them be a source of communication.
We had a fire at our RV storage facility in 2015. My wife (regional manager) and our onsite manager were both very detail oriented. This is what we learned:
-A signed TSSA lease is your best defense. Our insurance company asked for one for every damaged unit/RV.
-Proof of insurance at move in helps. Even if they let the policy lapse, the expectation was set.
-Offering tenant insurance further insulates the owner. If the tenant declined insurance in writing, that is further proof they have accepted responsibility for stored items.
-Electronic signed and stored leases would have saved time and provided a backup if needed. Fortunately our office and all records were in tact. We now exclusively use the eLease.
I know all of the info may not help your specific situation, but it does serve as a learning point for other RV storage operators.
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Michael Meylor
Neutron Corporation / Alamo Storage
San Antonio TX
(210) 593-8858
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-24-2024 04:38 PM
From: Brandon Reinart
Subject: missing contract
We recently had a fire at out facility. It started in a RV and spread to the two RV's on each side. One of tenant's RV's had no insurance on it. He is threatening a lawsuit if we do not settle with him. Somewhere somehow his TSSA contract has been misplaced or destroyed. I personally feel that it is public knowledge that everybody insures their own items in a storage facility. Any input anybody has on this would be greatly appreciated.
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Brandon Reinart
380 Storage
Greenville TX
(903) 455-3801
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