Ava
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 30, 2011 12:23:55 GMT -5
Posts: 4,168
|
Post by Ava on Apr 11, 2019 20:35:44 GMT -5
I live in a townhouse.
There are units on each side, but nobody above or below me. The condos are rowhouses.
My neighbor in the unit to my right got evicted and moved out last Saturday.
He came back sometime Sunday or Monday, clogged the bathtub and left the water running.
Tuesday morning I woke up and found water in my unit. As soon as I realized what was going on I started calling neighbors, condo association management company, knocking on doors, etc.
By mid morning the firemen were here. They got into the unit, turned off the water, declared the incident intentional. The owner of the unit showed up. They opened the unit's door and garage door. A waterfall came down.
Then the police showed up. They asked for my statement.
The condo association management initially said the owner of the unit was responsible for the water damage to my home. I told the owner he was responsible, just to be clear. He dismissed me, saying we have to let it dry, don't worry, my insurance will take care of this. etc.
I left and went to work. In the afternoon the management company called me. The manager was almost in tears, begging me not to file an insurance claim. We had insurance claim fraud in the past by an association president so our premiums have been through the roof. He told me he just got an $11K reduction in premiums last week. He also said any claim, even if through the other unit's insurance, gets posted and all the companies see it, causing our premiums to go back up.
On one hand I don't want to cause increases in premium, but despite the 11K reduction, our HOA fees, which are quite high, are not coming down because of this.
The management company sent a guy today to remove the water from my unit. However I want to know if there is any damage in the walls and plywood. It doesn't look like there is but I want someone to come and check.
The flooded unit had someone working there today. Nobody, not the owner, nor his insurance, has contacted me regarding any damage to my home. I don't even know who his insurance is. The condo management company is now telling me the manager will drop by at some point in the future to assess any possible damage to my home. Basically, also brushing me off. In the future, at some point, you are probably ok. I don't want to be probably ok, I want to make sure I'm ok.
What should I do?
I have my handyman coming this Sunday because my garage door broke, unrelated to the water incident, and I was thinking to ask him to do an assessment. He's a smart guy and I feel is the only one I can trust.
I don't expect a payoff or anything special. I just want my home to be free of mold and water as it was before this idiot decided to take revenge on his landlord. I have lost sleep, work hours, and put up with a lot of stress with this. Yet nobody is taking me seriously.
|
|
Tennesseer
Member Emeritus
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:58:42 GMT -5
Posts: 63,344
|
Post by Tennesseer on Apr 11, 2019 20:48:46 GMT -5
Ava-I assume you have your own insurance for the condo. Get your insurance company involved. If nothing else, tell your insurance company what happened and what you know up to now.
Damn the appeal to you from the management company. None of this is your fault. Don't let anyone make you responsible for taking care of your own unit. Let the insurance companies battle it out.
Your insurance company may have someone come in and look for water/moisture damage in your walls and floor.
|
|
Ava
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 30, 2011 12:23:55 GMT -5
Posts: 4,168
|
Post by Ava on Apr 11, 2019 20:53:52 GMT -5
Ava-I assume you have your own insurance for the condo. Get your insurance company involved. If nothing else, tell your insurance company what happened and what you know up to now. Damn the appeal to you from the management company. None of this is your fault. Don't let anyone make you responsible for taking care of your own unit. Let the insurance companies battle it out. Your insurance company may have someone come in and look for water/moisture damage in your walls and floor. I don't have an insurance company. Only the condo association insurance.
|
|
Knee Deep in Water Chloe
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 21:04:44 GMT -5
Posts: 13,753
Mini-Profile Name Color: 1980e6
|
Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Apr 11, 2019 20:54:44 GMT -5
Your insurance company will sue the other insurance companies and get it all taken care of. The police report will help. Do not let the manager nor the owner guilt-trip you.
|
|
Tennesseer
Member Emeritus
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:58:42 GMT -5
Posts: 63,344
|
Post by Tennesseer on Apr 11, 2019 20:57:05 GMT -5
Ava-I assume you have your own insurance for the condo. Get your insurance company involved. If nothing else, tell your insurance company what happened and what you know up to now. Damn the appeal to you from the management company. None of this is your fault. Don't let anyone make you responsible for taking care of your own unit. Let the insurance companies battle it out. Your insurance company may have someone come in and look for water/moisture damage in your walls and floor. I don't have an insurance company. Only the condo association insurance. Ava-are you renting the condo or did you purchase it and still paying on the mortgage. Or have you paid off the mortgage.
|
|
GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
Senior Associate
"How you win matters." Ender, Ender's Game
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:33:09 GMT -5
Posts: 11,291
|
Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Apr 11, 2019 20:57:41 GMT -5
Ava-I assume you have your own insurance for the condo. Get your insurance company involved. If nothing else, tell your insurance company what happened and what you know up to now. Damn the appeal to you from the management company. None of this is your fault. Don't let anyone make you responsible for taking care of your own unit. Let the insurance companies battle it out. Your insurance company may have someone come in and look for water/moisture damage in your walls and floor. I don't have an insurance company. Only the condo association insurance. You don’t have homeowner’s insurance for your unit? Not even property coverage?
|
|
Knee Deep in Water Chloe
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 21:04:44 GMT -5
Posts: 13,753
Mini-Profile Name Color: 1980e6
|
Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Apr 11, 2019 20:58:15 GMT -5
Ava-I assume you have your own insurance for the condo. Get your insurance company involved. If nothing else, tell your insurance company what happened and what you know up to now. Damn the appeal to you from the management company. None of this is your fault. Don't let anyone make you responsible for taking care of your own unit. Let the insurance companies battle it out. Your insurance company may have someone come in and look for water/moisture damage in your walls and floor. I don't have an insurance company. Only the condo association insurance.
You don't have home owner's insurance?
|
|
laterbloomer
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 26, 2018 0:50:42 GMT -5
Posts: 4,347
|
Post by laterbloomer on Apr 11, 2019 21:15:48 GMT -5
Make the claim. You are not responsible for the past fraud or this flooding and you should not be the one to pay for it.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Apr 19, 2024 13:36:13 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2019 21:44:19 GMT -5
What everyone is trying to tell you is that the association's insurance only protects them.
If you have a mortgage, you almost certainly have your own insurance of some type.
They will help you.
|
|
Ava
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 30, 2011 12:23:55 GMT -5
Posts: 4,168
|
Post by Ava on Apr 11, 2019 21:51:16 GMT -5
I do have a mortgage but I don't have insurance. My mortgage didn't require me to have one besides the association insurance
|
|
|
Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 11, 2019 21:56:23 GMT -5
So you have nothing covering your belongings? The condo insurance covers the structure, your insurance covers your stuff inside your unit.
|
|
justme
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 10, 2012 13:12:47 GMT -5
Posts: 14,618
|
Post by justme on Apr 11, 2019 22:39:44 GMT -5
That's... odd. The insurance of my condo HOA only covers the overall structure and the area between drywall. It's my insurance that covers everything inside my unit. In other words they'll deal with some pipes and wiring and the drywall, but the texture and paint is on the owners.
I had a not quite similar situation and found out the HOA insurance didn't cover it and insurance didn't cover it because it occurred because the renters were neglectful. Luckily the HOA brought in a fan and ran it for days and the drywall looks fine.
|
|
CCL
Junior Associate
Joined: Jan 4, 2011 19:34:47 GMT -5
Posts: 7,587
|
Post by CCL on Apr 12, 2019 3:10:14 GMT -5
I've never heard of a mortgage company that did not require insurance. Do you not have any liability insurance either?
|
|
andi9899
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 6, 2011 10:22:29 GMT -5
Posts: 30,354
|
Post by andi9899 on Apr 12, 2019 5:51:22 GMT -5
If you have a mortgage, you have insurance. A mortgage company isn't going to let the property they have a lien on not be insured. It may be force placed, but you have it.
A condo is insured "studs in" and "studs out". The owner of the property has "studs in" insurance for the structure and surrounding property. You have "studs in" coverage for the interior of your unit. So anything that is "studs in" is your responsibility, so any drywall damage or flooring damage or damage to personal property. Call the mortgage company and find out who the insurance company they placed it with is.
|
|
chiver78
Administrator
Current Events Admin
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 13:04:45 GMT -5
Posts: 38,489
|
Post by chiver78 on Apr 12, 2019 6:00:49 GMT -5
If you have a mortgage, you have insurance. A mortgage company isn't going to let the property they have a lien on not be insured. It may be force placed, but you have it. A condo is insured "studs in" and "studs out". The owner of the property has "studs in" insurance for the structure and surrounding property. You have "studs in" coverage for the interior of your unit. So anything that is "studs in" is your responsibility, so any drywall damage or flooring damage or damage to personal property. Call the mortgage company and find out who the insurance company they placed it with is. you need to file a claim with the association insurance to get the ball rolling. since the liability is going to ultimately lie with the unit owner's insurance to cover things, the association's insurance company can chase the unit owner for you. he may not like it, but this is going to land on him. and please don't let the management company guilt you into not filing. YOU did nothing wrong here.
|
|
andi9899
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 6, 2011 10:22:29 GMT -5
Posts: 30,354
|
Post by andi9899 on Apr 12, 2019 6:05:56 GMT -5
And do it now. Mold is growing and has been since the unit was first wet. It can get out of hand in a hurry.
|
|
TheHaitian
Senior Associate
Joined: Jul 27, 2014 19:39:10 GMT -5
Posts: 10,144
|
Post by TheHaitian on Apr 12, 2019 6:10:27 GMT -5
As someone that just went through one quarter of my basement being gutted due to water damage : I sure hope you have insurance.
Even with insurance I was out a couple of grand because my policy did not cover the plumber at 180/hr and my 1k deductible . My insurance company refunded me 3k of the cost I had covered and paid another ~3k directly to the company that came to do the cleaning/sanitation/mold treatment. All together it was about ~8-9k. But I am also in DC where labor cost is high...
From experience with my basement they should have done more than just remove water, the company my insurance company brought in : 1) did a detail inspection that there was no more water residue after the water was taken out 2) brought in the big fans that ran non stop to dry out the area 3) a commercial size dehumidifier that ran for 48 hours 4) treatment for the mold and sanitization
Also your answer to the management company should have been : not my problem!
|
|
alabamagal
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 23, 2010 11:30:29 GMT -5
Posts: 8,116
|
Post by alabamagal on Apr 12, 2019 6:22:02 GMT -5
I also think you should go through insurance. Don’t be afraid to make them do it right.
We had this happen at our business ( though not intentional). And make sure that the people who “ come out with fans” are professional water damage experts, not just someone who buys a big fan. The guys who repaired our business had moisture analyzers that could tell when carpet, drywall and insulation were dry. Our carpet (industrial type with no padding) deride pretty easily, but drywall had to be replaced 2 feet above floor even though the water was not even an inch above floor.
|
|
TheOtherMe
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 14:40:52 GMT -5
Posts: 27,117
Mini-Profile Name Color: e619e6
|
Post by TheOtherMe on Apr 12, 2019 8:15:59 GMT -5
I don't understand why you don't have insurance on the contents as andi explained. When I had a condo/townhouse, my mortgage required me to have that and that the HOA have insurance on the outside.
Call the insurance companies and get this going. When my basement flooded, the carpet and padding were pulled out the next day and the fans ran for a few days.
|
|
Rukh O'Rorke
Senior Associate
Joined: Jul 4, 2016 13:31:15 GMT -5
Posts: 10,018
|
Post by Rukh O'Rorke on Apr 12, 2019 8:22:07 GMT -5
how awful for you! No advice but you have my sympathy.
I hope he lands in jail for this dumb stunt.
|
|
zibazinski
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 16:12:50 GMT -5
Posts: 47,861
|
Post by zibazinski on Apr 12, 2019 8:35:55 GMT -5
I think people are taking advantage of Ava’s English skills and lack of understanding
|
|
giramomma
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Feb 3, 2011 11:25:27 GMT -5
Posts: 21,276
|
Post by giramomma on Apr 12, 2019 8:42:08 GMT -5
I'm sorry Eva. Not having insurance strikes me as odd, too. We had to have it when we lived in a condo.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Apr 19, 2024 13:36:13 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2019 9:47:04 GMT -5
That's... odd. The insurance of my condo HOA only covers the overall structure and the area between drywall. It's my insurance that covers everything inside my unit. In other words they'll deal with some pipes and wiring and the drywall, but the texture and paint is on the owners. I had a not quite similar situation and found out the HOA insurance didn't cover it and insurance didn't cover it because it occurred because the renters were neglectful. Luckily the HOA brought in a fan and ran it for days and the drywall looks fine. This makes no sense to me. There are three insurance companies involved: HOA, the other unit's insurance, and your own insurance. I get the other two: the HOA because it was the studs-in part, and the other unit's because the person renting it out didn't have commercial insurance or whatever. But are you saying that even yours wouldn't cover it? Or did you choose not to file a claim against your own insurance because of the deductible and because it would raise your rates?
|
|
justme
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 10, 2012 13:12:47 GMT -5
Posts: 14,618
|
Post by justme on Apr 12, 2019 9:59:04 GMT -5
That's... odd. The insurance of my condo HOA only covers the overall structure and the area between drywall. It's my insurance that covers everything inside my unit. In other words they'll deal with some pipes and wiring and the drywall, but the texture and paint is on the owners. I had a not quite similar situation and found out the HOA insurance didn't cover it and insurance didn't cover it because it occurred because the renters were neglectful. Luckily the HOA brought in a fan and ran it for days and the drywall looks fine. This makes no sense to me. There are three insurance companies involved: HOA, the other unit's insurance, and your own insurance. I get the other two: the HOA because it was the studs-in part, and the other unit's because the person renting it out didn't have commercial insurance or whatever. But are you saying that even yours wouldn't cover it? Or did you choose not to file a claim against your own insurance because of the deductible and because it would raise your rates? The damage was caused by a clog in the a/c drain 2 floors up from me. It soaked through the apt above me and then to mine. I thought it was a recurrence of the leak in the toilet above me that was in the same place. Because the problem had been going on for a long time my insurance would not cover it. I forget the exact wording, but something along the lines of because it had been going on so long and no one noticed it went from being an accident to being neglect and they don't cover that. That I would have to essentially sue the owners of the 3rd floor unit because their insurance wasn't covering it either. Also the damage was pretty much to the drywall only and my HOA deemed it not needing to be replaced. Though said if it needed to be or I requested them to do it I would be responsible for paying to have someone remove my a/c unit and then reinstall it. So lots of $$$ that my insurance would not cover.
|
|
Tennesseer
Member Emeritus
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:58:42 GMT -5
Posts: 63,344
|
Post by Tennesseer on Apr 12, 2019 10:07:45 GMT -5
I cannot imagine not having condo or even renters insurance if for nothing else, theft of personal property.
I first rented when I moved to Tennessee. I purchased renters insurance. And sure enough, about 12 months after moving into the apartment, it was burglarized. All the electronics were stolen (they missed a brand new TV still in the unopened box). All items stolen were replaced at no charge to me through the renters insurance.
|
|
NastyWoman
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 20:50:37 GMT -5
Posts: 14,316
Member is Online
|
Post by NastyWoman on Apr 12, 2019 10:16:46 GMT -5
I've never heard of a mortgage company that did not require insurance. Do you not have any liability insurance either? I remember that mine didn't 15 years ago. I only got it after about one year when I realized the gap I was creating in protection. Yea, I know but I am slow sometimes...
|
|
TheOtherMe
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 14:40:52 GMT -5
Posts: 27,117
Mini-Profile Name Color: e619e6
|
Post by TheOtherMe on Apr 12, 2019 10:28:38 GMT -5
I never had liability (umbrella) insurance until I moved to this house.
|
|
Tennesseer
Member Emeritus
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:58:42 GMT -5
Posts: 63,344
|
Post by Tennesseer on Apr 12, 2019 10:31:57 GMT -5
If someone were to be injured while in Ava's condo, condo association insurance would not pay the guest's medical bills.
|
|
HoneyBBQ
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 10:36:09 GMT -5
Posts: 5,395
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"3b444e"}
|
Post by HoneyBBQ on Apr 12, 2019 11:00:44 GMT -5
I do have a mortgage but I don't have insurance. My mortgage didn't require me to have one besides the association insurance You are at huge risk right now if you don't.
|
|
Tiny
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 29, 2010 21:22:34 GMT -5
Posts: 13,362
|
Post by Tiny on Apr 12, 2019 11:13:55 GMT -5
I do have a mortgage but I don't have insurance. My mortgage didn't require me to have one besides the association insurance Ava, check the form your Mortgage bank sent for use when doing your taxes. It should list what the bank did with your escrow money. There will be an amount you paid in Property Taxes and Insurance. Unless of course you are responsible for paying the property taxes and insurance. You might have "homeowners insurance" that the Mortgage Bank has been buying for you with some of your mortgage payment.
|
|