Nashville flooding

Rehabbing, Fix and Flip, Rental Properties
1

I have a condo rental unit that was and is still flooded from this weekends floods in Nashville. There was about 3 feet of water sitting in it as of last night at 8:00, and was down about 6 inches or so this morning at 8:00. No flood insurance, but it was in a 500 year flood plain so supposedly could not get it, and seemingly did not need it, about 50 yards away and 40 feet above the Cumberland River.

My wife, son, father in law and I got a lot of the tenants stuff out, she has been sick and out of town. Her boyfriend did come to help later in the afternoon, and we took most of it to my garage and basement.

I was looking for some tips and info from people that may have had the same experiences, ie Katrina, Miss. floods, etc. There is no Federal Disaster declared yet, I have tried to register with FEMA. What is it like dealing with FEMA?

What are some things to know about dealing with his kind of situation? What are my responsibilities to the tenant? She can stay with her boyfriend. Her lease is up the end of July. It was kind of funny, I pulled up after taking a load to the house and her boyfriend had gotten there and he handed me May’s rent check from the tenant.

It is a condo, so what are the associations responsibilities in this? I can’t get through to them “all circuits are busy”. I don’t know if the assoc. had flood insurance. There are several thousand houses destroyed so FEMA will be swamped if and when they open up. Just looking for some tips how to handle it all.

Thanks.

2

Cash the check quick. I had a tenant that bounced a check on me during that last hurricane.

3

Hi,

In most states you are responsible for the well being of the tenant if your recieving rents. (IE: $400 dollar rent, man made or natural disaster makes you responsible to pay for Hotel, Motel, Short Term Apartment, Luxury Home, or Vacation in Hawaii while you repair there unit! Cost to house tenant while you facilitate repairs - A lot more than tenants rent!!!!!)

With flood damage by the time you battle for permits, get a remediation company to remove mold, make repairs and recieve inspections and finally recieve a signed off final permit with new C of O, your talking months and months.

If tenant can stay with boyfriend for some time, be diligent and help tenant recover valuables and quickly walk through or achieve an over the counter permit, get a mold remediation company to remove the old drywall, furniture, trim, etc. and treat for mold, etc. and quickly remodel unit with the agreed intention between you and your tenant to put her back in it under a new lease, ASAP.

As far as you and her are concerned the current lease is terminated by act of nature!!!

Good Luck,

               GR
4

I agree with GR. Return May rent, and tell them the contract is over. Hopefully you have a clause in your lease about fire or casualty. You’ll need to fix this on your own time, and it will be extremely expensive to put your residents up in a hotel.