I own a condo, and my hot water heater leaked and caused some damage to the unit below. Am I responsible?

Answer 1

the land lord is

Answer 2

Condo laws differ between states so depends on your jurisdiction Also, Condo laws may have a clause about such a situation and in that case, that law would binding. Lastly, the heater may be defective in which the company that installed the it could be liable. If you can't be compensated by your condo, you may be able to sue the heater company. Obviously this is just a few tips and you should always consult a professional

Answer 3

In most States in the USA you ARE responsible. In some Cities the water heaters above someone else's property are required to sit in a pan with a drain to prevent them from flooding someone elses appartment or condo in case of failure...

by the way, the pan does not work if the failure causes it to spray out the side of the water heater!! LOL!...

your insurance should pay for the damages.

Answer 4

Yes, you probably are. The condo above me had the same thing happen and the owner had plasterers and painters fix my apartment immediately, no questions asked, all very amicable. The damage was minor but she was definitely responsible under the condominium bylaws.

If you have liability insurance, that will cover it. If you don't have liability insurance, you should because besides the water heater, air conditioners can also leak.

Answer 5

first of all we do fire and water restoration and we see this
QUITE A BIT
It sounds like they might not cover this claim
because the rule of thumb on water damage claims is that
if the water comes from above they cover it (rain, storm etc)
if the water comes from below THEY DENY THE CLAIM
(washer and dishwasher hose, pipes, water heater, plumbing)

first get an accessment on how much damage was done in many cases it is not as expensive as you think ..
If this is in one or two small areas (500 Sq Ft or less)
Absolutely do this out of pocket
two get 3 estimates ON THE LABOR ONLY
DO NOT GO WITH THE CHEAPEST PRICE
three if you feel you have someone qualified to fix this GET THE MATERIALS YOURSELF
because drywall wood flooring and other materials
are EXTREMELY CHEAP

instead of filing a claim I would use this approach
becasue if you make a claim you could have your policy dropped because ADJUSTERS HATE WATER DAMAGE CLAIMS
If you do attempt to file a claim I will tell you a secret you will always need to rememeber....
When the adjuster records your audio statement on your claim
DO NOT (I cannot stress this enough) DO NOT say the word FLOOD, use the word moisture damage, when you say FLOOD that will kill you claim because it is in 95% of ALL policies written
that your policy DOES NOT COVER MOLD AND FLOOD DAMAGE
they try to be slick because if you say "flood"
and this was to go to trial they WILL REPEATEDLY play that audio recording OVER AND OVER AGAIN and have a copy of your policy on a power point screen so they jury can see this ....
highlighted ..
you problably are through ALLSTATE or STATE FARM
they are in civil court so much here in Atlanta Georgia
any prospective juror with coverage with any of the two is AUTOMATICALLY disqualified ...so they KNOW THE GAME
they made these changes after hurricane andrew hit florida HARD in the 90's

In almost ALL states they made
this law because they threaten to leave their state completely if there was not a change in that law

Answer 6

Legally and ethically, yes. It was your heater that caused the damage, and should be covered by your insurance policy if the damage was that bad. You are responsible for damage caused by anything you own- be it child, pet, or appliance.

Answer 7

ok so what if your neighbor above you had a water heater and didnt repair it or watch for leaks, ornever had a pan underneath it to prevent water from going all over.....or simply was old and cracked and leaked into your condo..ruining thusands of dollars of your stuff.....would you think it was YOUR responsibility or his??? think about it

Answer 8

If you own the condo then YES.

Answer 9

Yes.

Answer 10

Yes, if it's your heater you are responsible.

Answer 11

yes