You notice traces of moisture in your ceiling and you suspect water damage coming from your neighbor above? Notify him immediately so that we can search for the water leak and determine who is responsible. But who should pay for this intervention? Is it the home insurance, the tenant, or the owner of the dwelling?
Water leakage: how to react to this disaster?
You have a water leak and you don't know what to do? First of all, you should inform your neighbor, the property manager, the owner of your home (if you are a tenant) or your insurance company as soon as possible.
Next, you will need to fill out a "water damage" declaration and a joint report. Gather all the documents in a file and send it to your insurer within five days from the discovery of the water leak.
For find water, commencez par chercher au niveau des robinets et des joints. En effet, ces pièces s’usent avec le temps, et peuvent échapper de l’eau. S’il n’y a rien, jetez un œil sur vos toilettes, boiler ou chauffe-eau, ces endroits sont très propices à ce type de problème. Dans le cas où vous n’arrivez pas à trouver la source de l’écoulement d’eau, demandez rapidement l’intervention d’un expert in leak detection Paris.
Once the leak is detected, shut off the water supply to your home immediately. If there is significant damage, also turn off the electricity to avoid electrocution. If your home is completely flooded, call the fire department to help you.
If your insurer suggests a visit by an expert, prepare all the proof of repairs made to the leak and do not throw away any of your damaged property before the expert comes to your home! Try to take pictures of the damage. Indeed, the insurance companies and the experts need all the evidence to estimate the damage and to determine the amount of the compensation as accurately as possible.
Don't hesitate to take pictures of your loss. Indeed, insurers and experts will need all possible elements to estimate the damage as accurately as possible.
Don't start restoring your paintings or carpets and drying your flooded surfaces. Wait for the expert's visit or get prior approval from your insurer.
Who should be responsible for finding the water leak?
As soon as you become aware of the damage, you must carry out a leak search to determine the causes. This intervention is essential to identify the responsibility of each person in the water damage and to know if it comes from the common or private parts.
The search for a water leak can be taken in charge by the owner, the co-ownership, or the insurance, according to the source of the disaster. Consequently, two cases of figures arise:
When a water leak from a pipe requires a destructive leak detection, you, as a tenant, will have to contact the owner of your property or the condominium in order to pay for the plumber's intervention.
When the damage is located in your private areas (for example, in your bathroom), it is up to you as a tenant to pay for the intervention of the leak detection expert and the costs of unclogging the toilet. In this case, check the clauses of your multi-risk housing contract, to know if your insurer can reimburse you and cover the search for a leak. If your contract indicates it, you will be able to benefit from a compensation. However, if this is not the case, check with your home insurance company to find out the conditions under which your installations are covered.
Finally, the coverage of the search for a leak is not automatic and depends on the clauses of your contract. If the "water leak detection" guarantee is included, you will be reimbursed by your insurer. However, in some cases you will not be compensated, even if your contract contains this option. For example, if the water leak is due to a lack of maintenance, you have nothing to do in such a situation.
