Why multifamily leaks travel so far
Aurora has a very large stock of apartments, condos and townhome rows, from garden-style complexes built in the 1970s and 1980s to newer mid-rise buildings near the light rail stations and the medical campus. In stacked buildings, kitchens and bathrooms usually line up floor over floor and share vertical plumbing chases. When a supply line or toilet fails upstairs, those chases act like drainpipes and carry water into units nowhere near the leak.
In garden-style buildings, water seeps through the subfloor seams of wood-framed floors and runs along the joists before it drips out at a light fixture or ceiling seam. In concrete mid-rise buildings, it may pool on the slab and travel to a pipe sleeve or other penetration before it shows up below. Either way, the first unit to notice is often not the one where it started.
Who usually handles what
| Party | Usually responsible for | Insurance often involved |
|---|---|---|
| Apartment landlord or owner | Building structure, common areas, drywall and built-in flooring in rentals | The owner's commercial property policy |
| Apartment renter | Personal belongings, and possibly extra living costs | A renter's policy, if the tenant has one |
| Condo HOA | Common elements as the declaration defines them, often structure and shared pipes | The association's master policy |
| Condo unit owner | Interior finishes and contents, depending on where the declaration draws the line | A unit owner policy, often called HO-6 |
| Unit where the leak started | Possibly damage to others, if negligence is shown | That owner's or renter's liability coverage |
Getting every affected unit handled
Stop the source and trace it
Maintenance shuts off the unit valve or the riser. Someone checks every unit directly below and to the sides, not just the one that called about a drip.
Get into each unit
Managers follow the notice rules for entry, and in an emergency many leases and declarations allow immediate entry. Keep a log of who entered which unit and when.
Extract and open up where needed
Crews remove standing water in each unit. Wet ceiling drywall below the leak gets checked for sagging and may be opened to drain and dry the cavity.
Document each unit separately
Photos, moisture maps and equipment counts stay unit by unit, so the HOA, the owner and each tenant's insurer see only their share of the loss.
Track drying in each unit
Units dry at different speeds. One may be finished while another still needs dehumidifiers.
Questions to ask if water came through your ceiling
- Which unit did the water come from, and has the source been stopped?
- Is the building owner or HOA sending someone to extract and dry my unit, or should I arrange it?
- Will the drying equipment in my unit be documented under my unit number?
- Who do I contact about my belongings, and should I file with my own insurer?
- If the water came from a toilet or drain, how will my unit be cleaned and sanitized?
General information for Aurora, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.