A. If the dwelling unit or premises are damaged or destroyed by fire or other casualty to an extent that enjoyment of the dwelling unit is substantially impaired, unless the impairment is caused by the deliberate or negligent act or omission of the tenant, a member of his family, his animal or pet or other person or animal on the premises with his consent, the tenant may:
1. Immediately vacate the premises and notify the landlord in writing within one (1) week thereafter of his intention to terminate the rental agreement, in which case the rental agreement terminates as of the date of vacating; or
2. If continued occupancy is possible, vacate any part of the dwelling unit rendered unusable by the fire or casualty, in which case the tenant's liability for rent is reduced in proportion to the diminution in the fair rental value of the dwelling unit.
B. If the rental agreement is terminated under this section the landlord shall return all deposits recoverable under Section 15 of this act and all prepaid and unearned rent. Accounting for rent in the event of termination or apportionment shall be made as of the date of the fire or other casualty.
Added by Laws 1978, c. 257, § 22, eff. Oct. 1, 1978.
Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal insurance products you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.
LegalFix provides its members with access to legal services through a network of provider law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.
The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our provider law firms.
You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your provider law firm.
The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.
Use of this website, the purchase of legal insurance products, and access to the LegalFix network of provider law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
