The Law Firm of David C. Chavez Logo
No Fee Until We Win
CALL TODAY FOR A FREE CONSULTATION
505-865-9696
OPEN PRACTICE AREAS

Who can you sue if a neighbor's home fire also engulfs your own?

A fire starts at your neighbor's house and quickly spreads to your own. It quickly engulfs it, destroying everything inside.

While you may be thankful that you and your family members made it out alive, you may wonder what recourse you have recovering the cost of your home and the things that were in it at the time, especially if you didn't have homeowners' insurance yourself.

If you had your own homeowners' policy, then you would probably think that you could simply call them up, file a claim with them and they'd be there to help you pay your mortgage.

Oftentimes, though, homeowners' policies don't cover that pesky monthly payment unless it has a fire clause written into it. Instead, they are written to only cover the rebuilding costs of the home or its actual value after it's been destroyed by the blaze.

Whatever expenses that your homeowners' insurance company has to pay out to you is what they'll try to recover from your neighbor's carrier in the end.

Other expenses you incur, such as deductibles, can often be recovered in cases such as this by you filing a claim with your neighbor's insurance provider.

For homeowners who find them in an unfortunate spot where they don't have their own homeowners' policy, it's likely that they can file a lawsuit against their neighbor's own insurance company. When doing so, they may be eligible to recover damages for personal belongings and restoration or rebuilding costs incurred.

If you and your neighbor both lack homeowners' policies, then you may unfortunately be left on the hook paying for for expenses including your mortgage despite not having access to your home. While there are certain extenuating circumstances that may allow you to recover damages from other third parties, these situations are few and far between.

If you've lost your home to either your neighbor's or someone else's negligence, then a Los Lunas attorney can advise you of your rights to file a lawsuit to recover damages in your case.

Source: AOL, "Who pays when neighbor's fire spreads to your home," Sheree Curry, accessed May 11, 2018

No Comments

Leave a comment
Comment Information