I have a question about responsibility for squirrel damage to my belongings and my apartment.
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I have a question about responsibility for squirrel damage to my belongings and my apartment.
I went out of town a month ago, and when I returned I saw that a squirrel had entered my aparment through the attic. There was urine and feces everywhere, a lot of my things were destroyed. When I asked my landlord about cleaning the apartment they said I had to clean it, and they would shampoo the carpet. In addition, I could take 15 dollars off my rent to wash clothes. My rent is paid through the entire lease even though I haven’t lived there in a month. I just wanted to know if it was my responsibilty to clean and just deal with the loss of my things, or if the landlord was responsible for all of the damages done?
Asked on June 14, 2009 under Real Estate Law, Texas
Answers:
J.V., Member, New Jersey Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 14 years ago | Contributor
as a short answer without having seen your lease I have to say I would assume that your responsible for said repairs. Although I am not admitted in TX the general rule is that such damage is not the landlords responsibility.
I would suggest you consult your lease to see if it covers such an issue, than you may want to contact an attorney if the language leads you to believe your covered. You should also look into how the squirrel got inside, if it was because of a lack of something that's the landlords responsibility that may help you get the damage covered. Good luck
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