Leak in apartment - large damage

h0neybadger

Hi,

Just discovered a large leak in my apartment ceiling.

Neighbour who owns apartment above our’s, their bath leaked.

I reckon 10-15 litre’s of water has poured through our ceiling and light fixing.

Our landlord called over, put some holes in the ceiling. And a load more water came down.

Neighbour called in with him, and she laughed a little when we said we have no contents insurance.

Been going through what’s damaged, and the leak was literally above a load of computer equipment.

I’d estimate 8-10k of stuff is wrecked.

The landlord said that there is Management company, who have block insurance, and maybe speak to them.

Any suggestions, info, anything relevant?

Feeling really **** over it

Yes, we should have insurance. But we’re not living here too long, and it was on the to do list

Mrs OBumble

Block insurance cannot cover what you own. It can only cover what the management company has an insurable interest in.

Seek legal advice re possibility of suing the upstairs apartment owner. But do weigh up the cost of legal action, their ability to pay, and what it will cost you to replace your stuff.

the_pen_turner

not sure why the neighbour is laughing. its them that will be paying for it

amtc

Same happened to me. I did have contents insurance however. However my damage was mostly structural. .paint, ceiling

My best advice is to get a loss assessor. It will cost a percentage but I ended up getting enough to not only fix the damage but repaint the entire place and recarpet

h0neybadger

amtc wrote: »

Same happened to me. I did have contents insurance however. However my damage was mostly structural. .paint, ceiling

My best advice is to get a loss assessor. It will cost a percentage but I ended up getting enough to not only fix the damage but repaint the entire place and recarpet

I’m not worried about the apartment structure or paint etc.
Landlord was around tonight and said he will cover that and have it sorted by the end of the week.

mikeysmith

amtc wrote: »

Same happened to me. I did have contents insurance however. However my damage was mostly structural. .paint, ceiling

My best advice is to get a loss assessor. It will cost a percentage but I ended up getting enough to not only fix the damage but repaint the entire place and recarpet

Upstairs wont be laughing when their insurance is cancelled due to lack of maintenance

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This post has been deleted.

elperello

Too late to be wise now.
Don't be offended by the neighbour laughing. It's quite a common nervous reaction. She didn't mean any harm and hardly expected to find herself in a strangers apartment in those circumstances.
Get legal advice.
Her negligence caused your loss.

bren2002

Even having insurance wouldnt restore 8-10k like new. Most policies apply a depreciation and excess obviously, so you'd be lucky to get 5k from an insurer.
If you get an offer anything near that from upstairs grab it with both hands.

peteb2

bren2002 wrote:

Even having insurance wouldnt restore 8-10k like new. Most policies apply a depreciation and excess obviously, so you'd be lucky to get 5k from an insurer. If you get an offer anything near that from upstairs grab it with both hands.

You're wrong. Contents is generally new for old.

bren2002

peteb2 wrote: »

You're wrong. Contents is generally new for old.

I'm not 'wrong' .

New for old policies are expensive indemnity ones are cheaper. Tenents will tend towards the cheapest option.

So dont say i'm wrong.

Boater123

peteb2 wrote: »

You're wrong. Contents is generally new for old.

bren2002 wrote: »

I'm not 'wrong' .

New for old policies are expensive indemnity ones are cheaper. Tenents will tend towards the cheapest option.

So dont say i'm wrong.

Yis are probably both right lads, different type policies pay put differently.

April 73

mikeysmith wrote: »

Upstairs wont be laughing when their insurance is cancelled due to lack of maintenance

To be fair - leaks happen. It's not always because of negligence or lack of maintenance. Their insurance won't be cancelled.

subpar

Sorry for this happening to you. A very expensive lesson regarding contents insurance as taking out a policy would be not be costly.

No matter where you live , irrespective of who owns the property , contents insurance is a must have.

h0neybadger

Didn’t have it as we just moved in...

P. Breathnach

You should claim from your neighbour for your losses.

She, in turn, can look into her insurance cover. It might turn out that the block insurance covers her liability to you.

peteb2

bren2002 wrote:

So dont say i'm wrong.

No. Because you are. Show me an example of a readily available policy that has indemnity as it's preferred option as opposed to new for old. Policies are basic but they don't offer two options when you go to a website looking for a quote. Maybe 20 years ago....

cruizer101

You may not necessarily be able to chase the tenant for it. I'm not sure why so many are saying it is her fault. Do you know did she overflow the bath, or was it a leak in the plumbing in which case maybe its the landlords fault or maybe the last plumber who did work on it. Without knowing all the details it is hard to apportion blame and without that you may not be able to sue anyone.

the_pen_turner

Op said neighbor owns apartment above.
The neighbor is responsible either way.
If some third party did something like a bad plumber etc then they could go after them later

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subpar

Contents insurance is not a mandatory requirement ,for owners or tenants , although it should be.

The block insurance will cover any structural damage and decoration required as a result of the leaking water.

You could sue the tenant in the apartment above yours , but the golden rule in civil damages cases is that you only sue someone with considerable assets and if they are renting well then that is an answer in itself.

Accidental damage resulting from water leaks is a regular enough happening in buildings , as is occupier negligence e.g not paying attention to washing machine basic maintenance or not clearing out blocked sink / bath or shower drains particularly in apartment blocks . The only way to guarantee protection of the valuables in your own apartment is to insure them yourself . Keeping your fingers crossed is a risky option as is depending on the care and attention of those that live above you.

TooObvious

As a number of other posters have noted, it's possible that the neighbour above was not at fault and the leak was not caused by negligence or a failure to adequately maintain services to the property. To this end i do not see how she can be blamed and subsequently held liable for the damage to the OP's goods. The OP will have to suck it up unfortunately.

Sue Pa Key Pa

bren2002 wrote:

New for old policies are expensive indemnity ones are cheaper. Tenents will tend towards the cheapest option.

bren2002 wrote:

I'm not 'wrong' .

bren2002 wrote:

So dont say i'm wrong.

Indemnity policies are a thing of the past. Almost impossible to get one nowadays.

Sue Pa Key Pa

elperello wrote:

Get legal advice. Her negligence caused your loss.

Where's the negligence? If a pipe suddenly leaked, how could that have been foreseen?

amtc

In the case I described earlier where the apartment above me flooded into my house the block policy covered it.

However as the neighbour was away and the management company had no details for.him they authorised the fire brigade to break down the door and secure the source of the leak. It was his bath overflowing. Plus his tv was still on. It really looked as if he disappeared in a hurry. The only reason I knew he was away because I bumped into him getting into a taxi with a large suitcase and he said he was off on a long stag weekend.

Anyway when he came back he was greeted with large crime scene tape etc

He had the audacity to try to claim for the door and replacement locks on my contents insurance.