Natural disasters can cause a lot of problems for landlords. There may be irreversible damages to their property, and their tenant will also be in danger. Recently, there have been incidents of wildfires in Australia and across the United States. A lot of people have evacuated from their homes, and many properties were affected. When mother nature strikes, we have to deal with it as best as we can.

As a landlord, you must prepare for disasters and everything that comes with it. You should also know the things you will encounter in the aftermath. Let me list down the things that you should know before and after calamities.

Prepare for natural calamities.

Some disasters occur out of the blue that you will not have time to prepare or evacuate. However, other calamities can be detected ahead of time using today’s technologies. By predicting disasters, people can evacuate or prepare before it strikes. How exactly can you plan for a disaster?

Hurricanes

When preparing for hurricanes, you should not only consider the property, but you should also include your tenants. You will need their cooperation in such circumstances. If there is a warning for an inevitable hurricane or storm, you should check these things in your property:

• If there are tree branches or downed limbs, dispose of them immediately. Schedule a pick up for those items because the strong winds can carry them and will blow into your property.
• Make sure that all the windows are boarded up with storm shutters.
• Items that the wind can pick up must be properly stored, including lawn furniture and children’s toys.
• You can also hand out printed instructions to your tenants on what to do during disasters. They should have an evacuation plan and remind them to stock up on food and supplies that can sustain them for a few days. If you can’t personally check the property, instruct them on what they should watch out for.

Earthquakes

If the location of your property is in an earthquake-prone area, these are the things that you should inspect:

• Bolt or strap large furniture and appliances to secure them in place.
• Immediately check the walls for cracks and repair them.
• Have someone check your building’s foundation for weakness or damage.
• Instruct your tenants to prepare emergency kits that they can immediately grab should they need to evacuate. Orient them on the possible places they can take cover. If you have earthquake-proof furniture, then that will be a better option.

Wildfires

In the event of a wildfire, it is most likely that your tenants will need to evacuate the property. But before they do, they should perform these things to protect their homes and belongings:

• Remove flammable items around the property, such as dried leaves and plants. Inside the unit, they must remove the curtains and shades from the window.
• Instruct them to shut off the gas meter and board up the windows.
• If you know that your area is prone to wildfires, make sure that you avoid using flammable materials in your property like wood for your roof. You can consult professionals if you want to use fire-resistant chemicals in your building.

After the disaster

After the disaster strikes, you should inspect the extent of damage in the property and plan on the course of action to take. Process your insurance claims and coordinate with your tenants. Encourage your tenants to process their renter’s insurance claim too.

Some states would consider the lease agreement as terminated once the property is uninhabitable. You should check the state laws applicable in your area. There are variations regarding the termination of the lease and refunds.

If the property remains intact and habitable, the lease will continue. However, you have to consider that your tenants will have difficulties with their finances because of how the disaster hindered them to continue working and they need to repurchase items that they’ve lost. If they don’t have renter’s insurance, you can refer them to charity organizations that can help them.

If you think it will help by terminating the lease and letting them find another property to rent, then you can suggest it. Do not worry about having to fill up a vacancy. You can utilize Padleads to make your property listings. You could also syndicate the listings to other websites so that more house hunters can check them out.

Being a well-prepared landlord can help lessen the problems that natural disasters will bring. We may not be able to prevent or avoid them, so the best thing to do is to be ready. Always expect the unexpected.