Who is Responsible for Water Damage in a Condo?
Water damage is often unexpected and can result in serious damage. While some of the damage caused by flooding or leaks may be restorable, other problems could be permanent. Damage to personal belongings, such as clothing, may ruin the items.
When you own a home, the responsibility for water damage falls onto you. But what happens when you rent or own a condo? When condo water damage occurs, make sure you understand who is responsible and what the next steps should be.
Know Your Rights
An estimated 44 million families in the United States are renting homes or condos, according to ipropertymanagement.com. When you’re renting a home or condo, you have certain rights verses owning. Understanding your rights is important will help you understand who the responsible party would be in case of condo water damage.
As a renter, you have the right to an environment that is considered livable. The landlord or property owner needs to provide maintenance and upkeep of the building. This includes any damages or problems that are not your fault. Leaks in the roof, for example, would be a responsibility that falls on the property owner and not the renter.
Who Is At Fault?
Before considering who should be the one responsible for the repairs, it’s important to determine who is at fault. While renters will often turn to the landlord immediately, there are times where the renter is at fault.
In a scenario where the renter forgot to close a tap, water may start pouring over the bathtub or basin. In this scenario, water damage caused by this flooding would be the fault of the renter.
On the other hand, if the water damage was caused by inappropriate maintenance of the building, then the fault lies with the owner of the property.
The Role Of An Insurance Policy
Home or condo owners renting out their buildings will usually have some type of insurance on the property. This insurance will likely provide coverage in case of water damage. It is, however, important to take a close look at the lease you sign. Details about any insurance policies that apply to the building are mentioned in this document.
You can also consider taking out renter’s insurance. This would provide coverage in cases where the responsibility of fixing the damage caused by flooding or water leaks falls onto you and not the owner of the property.
Water Cleanup Services
If you have condo water damage, Integrity Restoration has been offering professional water damage restoration services for the past 18 years. We are experienced in water cleanup as well as emergency repair services. By extracting flooded water in your condo, our professionals help to stop further damage and can assist in repairing the damage that has been done.
Simply call us at (770) 966-9987 or fill out the contact form on our website. We have professionals standing by to help including for our 24-hour emergency water cleanup services.