If you own a single-family home and find a leak in a wall pipe, it’s relatively easy to fix in that you’re the homeowner and can do whatever you please, whenever you please when it comes to fixing plumbing problems.
But what do you do when you discover a leak in a wall or floor in your condo? And what if water damage has resulted from the leak?
Condo ownership means you “own” just the space between your condo’s walls; the walls, roof, flooring, etc. are owned jointly by you and the other owners of units within the condominium project.
So if you find a water pipe leak or some other plumbing issue that’s affecting your unit, who is responsible for fixing the damage and paying for the repair?
It depends. Specifically, it depends on what actually caused the water damage
Your condo association will have insurance to cover the common areas of your development. As the homeowner, you will have individual condo insurance to cover the inside of your unit, such as your flooring, walls, and the contents of your condo.
If the plumbing in walls or floors causes water damage in your unit, or your neighbor’s unit, who is responsible?
One of your important tasks as a condo owner is to make sure you are very familiar with your development’s master policy. You must clearly understand what is covered under the policy and what isn’t. This is important because some insurance policies do cover the fixtures in individual condo units while others cover only the building’s exterior, roof, common areas, and basement.
If water has caused damage and if the damage occurred because a toilet overflowed in your unit or because your kitchen pipe broke, the cost of repairs will probably be covered under your personal condo insurance.
But if the water damage was a result of an adjoining unit’s overflow, you may be in for some trouble, because many condo associations are unlikely to become involved in what is known as unit-to-unit issues. For example, your neighbor’s pipe burst in his kitchen, resulting in water damage that also came to impact your own unit.
Contact Your Condo Association
No matter if the water damage came as a result of your neighbor’s burst pipe or if the condo’s roof leaked, your first step is to contact your condo association. This way you’ll know soon enough if they think it’s something the association should make sure is fixed.
Determine Whose Insurance Will Pay for the Damage
Your next step to determine whose insurance will pay for the damage. File a claim with either your own individual policy insurance company or with the association’s insurance firm. If the water damage occurred because of a problem in your neighbor’s unit and neither of the insurance companies accepts your claim, talk directly with your neighbor and make sure you have as much information as you can get about his insurance policy.
Your Take Away
Know your individual policy and get a copy of your condo association’s policy. And be sure to do so before you could ever need it. In other words, have the policies handy and easily accessible.
Contact a plumbing company such as Plumbing Dynamics to evaluate water damage in your condo unit and conduct leak detection in Carrollton, TX. We can ascertain the cause of the damage, even if the spot where the damage originated can’t be found. Give us a call at 214-929-3431. And remember, when you work with the master plumbers at Plumbing Dynamics, you can always expect:
- No Service Call Fee
- No Trip Charge
- Free Estimates
- Master Plumbers who’ve seen every possible plumbing problem ever from around the nation
- Family-owned and operated for 25 years and counting
- Utmost quality in customer service – hand-holding through the entire process
Don’t forget to check out our specials and redeem an online coupon toward your repair!