Hi. I need help, and my insurance company just lets the phone ring...so does my condo management company...so any help will be appreciated! My downstairs neighbor's ceiling under my toilet fell down a bit--the cement is exposed now. He says he doesn't have homeowner's insurance (even though he owns his condo). I called a plumber who said it wasn't my seal, but rather pipe lower down at the "elbow" (whatever that means) and that it was cracked. He repaired it...for 630.00. Now, my neighbor wants me to pay to fix his ceiling too, plus my condo association says that since the pipe was coming from my toilet, they are not responsible either. My homeowner's insurance people, when I called them before I knew what was wrong, said if it has to do with the toilet it's a "maintenance" issue which is not covered. Is this true? Any part of this sound off to any of you experts? :) Thanks!
2007-11-05 09:54:01 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Business & Finance ➔ Insurance
Your homeowners is only going to pay for damages to your neighbor that you are legally liable for. You're NOT going to be liable for his ceiling damage. He chose not to carry insurance for his unit - he is going to be SELF INSURED for this.
Regarding your pipe - you have a deductible. The water damage to YOUR unit caused by the pipe would likely be covered by your policy, subject to your deductible, but not the repair to the pipe itself. Really not worth filing a claim. It's POSSIBLE that your policy flat out excludes ensuing water damage. I'd pull a copy of your policy and read it, for future reference.
Master Policies generally only cover COMMON AREAS and the outside structures, AND the deductibles on these policies are usually $10,000 per claim or more. You're NOT going to get coverage for this under the master policy.
2007-11-05 10:38:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not being a plumber and unable to tell just from the description, it's hard to determine who is truly the responsible party here (e.g., if the pipe that cause the problem was actually part of the building's "infrastructure", it's really the landlord's problem). Regardless, however, to answer your main question, while you almost certainly *could* file an insurance claim for this, it's probably not worth it. You didn't say what your deductable is, first off. And secondly, the claim will almost certainly result in a higher future premium. So even if you have no deductable, if your annual premium ends up going up, say, $100 because of the claim, it's going to cost you in the long term.
2007-11-05 18:08:49 · answer #2 · answered by Eric 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
did the plumber say what caused the elbow to give? if its due to poor maintenance, then no insurance will not cover it. if it is a sudden burst from the pipe (ex: freezing) then insurance should cover the damage to your condo minus the ded. since it was only $630 its not worth filing. if you file the claim, it will stay on your record up to 5 years. as for your neighbors damages, you can only file that damage if its something you are found to be liable for.
2007-11-05 19:10:49 · answer #3 · answered by Queen B 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most condominium insurance policies are a master policy covering all units against hazards like fire and wind damage. Individual unit owners are responsible for buying a contents policy, similar to renter's insurance. A plumbing leak from your unit would not be covered for repair, but a decent policy should cover any damage that comes from a leak, to anyone's unit other than yours, and to yours. Read your policy carefully, get a lawyer to help you make sense of it if you must, but if the policy does not say that repair to water damage from leaking is covered, you are responsible for repairing damage to your neighbor, if the problem originated in your unit.
2007-11-05 18:04:40 · answer #4 · answered by curtisports2 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You probably should not make a claim on your insurance for this. They wont cover your damage to your neighbor. If you make a claim all you are going to do is increase your rates. Your neighbor is an idiot for not having homeowners insurance on his property.
Person above me is a claims adjuster.. I dont believe you since your encouraging her to report it. If you were a real one you would say no because you would be full of stupid claims already.
2007-11-06 20:28:57 · answer #5 · answered by rurouni33569 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best thing to do is turn the claim into your insurance company and let them do an investigation and determine coverage.
This is a claim that could be complicated - so turn it into the claims department and let them handle.
2007-11-05 22:20:54 · answer #6 · answered by Boots 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋