Tenant on the hook in cat-sitting debacle

Robert Griswold


This week, Griswold takes on a question from a landlord dealing with the aftermath of a tenant who let a friend cat-sit at his apartment.

Question: While on vacation, a tenant arranged for a friend to care for his cat. While in the apartment, his friend left the top door of his refrigerator open, causing the freezer to defrost. The leaking water flooded the apartment and eventually traveled through the sub floor and emerged in the kitchen ceiling of a lower apartment.

The damage was so great that the ceiling had to be removed, replaced and repainted. In addition, the cat was allowed to escape from his apartment and defecated on the common area carpet.

There is a standard month-to-month lease in effect, requiring that the tenant be liable for damages caused by a guest or invitee.

Who is responsible for the damages?


Based on your description of the facts it seems pretty clear that the tenant would be responsible for the damages caused by the negligence of their friend. It sounds like the damage is significant so the tenant should make a claim to their renter’s insurance carrier.

You should also file a claim with your insurance carrier so that the repairs can be done right away and then the landlord's insurance carrier can subrogate the paid claim with the tenant's insurance policy or directly pursue reimbursement from the tenant if they are uninsured.

Be sure to keep detailed written records of the costs of the repairs and photos of the damage in case the tenant or their insurance carrier disputes the claim.

Have a question for Rental Roundtable? Send it to rgriswold@retodayradio.com.

Posted by Lily Leung, residential real estate reporter


