Causes of leakage and its consequences
An apartment on the top floor is a priori at risk, since even with a slight violation of the roof's tightness, a leak may occur, which will first appear on the ceiling of the home. If the leak is small, then only wet spots begin to appear, but every day they can become larger, and as a result the situation can become emergency.
The management company must react immediately to such a situation and take appropriate measures. Delay in this matter is fraught with certain consequences:
- If stains appear only in wet weather, then over time they will turn the repair into an obscene appearance, as a result of which measures to update it will be required.
- With the appearance of stains, the humidity in the apartment will rise to a maximum level, which can lead to the appearance of fungus on the walls and ceiling, and in extreme cases, even on the furniture.
There is no point in carrying out finishing work until the cause of the leak has been eliminated, that is, the roof's tightness has not been restored.
Signs and consequences of a roof leak
The tightness of the roof is a significant parameter of the reliability and safety of the entire structure. This is especially important in situations where there are violations in the surface layer of a high-rise building. In this case, the residents of the upper floor suffer, as well as in case of severe flooding during periods of increased precipitation - and the neighbors on the floors below.
As a rule, the ceiling in an apartment begins to leak when the damage to the roofing surface is strong enough, and water flows or high humidity have already reached the living space.
In some cases, a constantly wet ceiling becomes a problem, and sometimes the situation becomes much more critical and a real flood occurs. Constant indoor humidity creates favorable conditions for the development of mold and mildew, which makes living in an apartment dangerous and cannot be eliminated by simple renovation of the premises.
A correctly drawn up and timely submitted application to the housing office will be the reason for the management company to carry out repair work, which must be completed as soon as possible. The application must be submitted at the first sign of a leak, since if it leaks once, it will continue to do so until the tightness is restored, and can lead to:
- The need for serious and expensive repairs in the apartment due to damaged finishing of both walls and ceiling;
- The development of dangerous diseases due to high indoor humidity;
- The appearance of harmful microorganisms, fungus, mold, which are unsafe for health.
Important!
There is no point in carrying out repairs in an apartment that is subject to constant flooding from the roof without first eliminating the leak and restoring the tightness of the roof. Roofs can leak both in new buildings and in old high-rise buildings, and the causes of this problem can be:
- Violations of the integrity of the coating during snow removal and ice removal;
- The service life of roofing materials has expired;
- Violation of the technology for laying roofing materials;
- Low quality of building materials used;
- Damage to the integrity of plants or trees.
Strong winds can also cause damage to the roofing carpet, but most often this occurs due to improper installation of the covering.
For pitched roofs, the weak point is the area where the roof adheres to ventilation or smoke ducts, as well as to the points of contact with the walls. In addition, a large temperature difference between outdoor temperatures and those in the attic contributes to leaks in the under-roof space, which also leads to leaks.
It’s not just the kitchen or hallway that can suffer from water seepage, it all depends on the location of the damage. Water can leak from the roof in any room, but most often these are places on corner walls.
The appearance of moisture can be seasonal (during rain or melting snow), as well as unsystematic (accumulation of condensation in the under-roof space, microcracks, etc.). In any case, you should draw up an application and submit it to the housing office or management company immediately.
Actions of the responsible person
The written application is considered within 14 days, after which a commission is sent to the apartment to assess the nature of the damage and the damage caused.
In order for the owner to have evidence on hand, at the time of the commission’s visit, it is necessary to call the neighbors and take several photos, which the commission members must endorse.
After assessing and analyzing the damage, the technician calculates the necessary repair work and draws up a cost estimate.
If no action has been taken from the management company after 14 days, then you need to contact higher organizations, for example, the head of housing and communal services of a district or city. The application is written to him in the same form as to the management company. For this purpose, an application is also written addressed to the head of the relevant department. The complaint must be submitted, as in the previous case, in two copies. It is necessary to attach documents such as the applicant’s passport, a certificate of ownership of the apartment or an agreement according to which the apartment is considered rented. The administrative apparatus will consider this application within 30 days and send a written response to the applicant.
If in this case, the apartment residents cannot wait for the results, then the only and most reliable way out will be to go to court against the management company. You can go to court, either at your place of residence, or in a district or regional court. The same documents are attached to the statement of claim; in the same way, you need to receive your copy in hand with a signature and date from the authority.
Application rules and sample application
If the roof of a high-rise building is leaking, and you are the lucky one living on the top floor, then a correctly filed complaint is the key to quickly eliminating the problem and eliminating the need for expensive repairs in the apartment.
Important! Before writing a statement, you should definitely take a photograph of the leak site in order to have physical evidence that may be needed if you need to go to court.
An example of what a sample application for roof repair looks like is shown in the picture:
It is very important that the application contains complete and correct details of the addressee and the owner of the affected apartment, and it is necessary to copy the written text and, if necessary, be able to provide a copy to the court or other authorities.
The main part of the document should state the essence of the problem as accurately as possible and specifically indicate the location of the leak (toilet, corridor, kitchen, etc.). It is also worth indicating the time and date of the appearance of signs of leakage, the extent of damage and the material damage incurred. Photo and video materials confirming the act of damage to property can also be attached to the sample submitted to the Housing Office.
The application must also include a request to eliminate defects in the roofing, as well as indicate your other requirements (for example, compensation for material damage). All requests must be formulated very clearly and be numbered.
The written statement or complaint must be in two copies, both must indicate the date and name of the housing office or management company employee who accepted it, in order to have evidence of inaction if it is necessary to file a claim in court.
You can submit your application either by visiting the institution yourself or by sending it by registered mail. When submitting in person, you must have with you documents confirming your identity, as well as the right to own the property of the apartment.
Attention! An application for roof repair can be written as shown in the example, or in any form, but with the obligatory indication of the details of the parties.
After submitting the application in writing and registering it in incoming correspondence, the management company cannot leave the applicant unanswered and will have to respond to the complaint.
Actions of utility workers after receiving a complaint in writing:
- The arrival of a locksmith or plumber and his attempts to record the fact of a leak, but at the same time try to persuade the owners that there is no need for roofing repairs;
- The arrival of a utility commission specially created for this occasion, which will record the fact of the leak, will draw up a document on the material damage caused. It is worth agreeing not only to repair your apartment, but also to a full inspection and repair of damaged areas of the roof;
- If the management company is inactive, then you should first submit the same application to the city utility service. If there is no reaction here, then the court will be the last resort.
When applying to the judicial authorities, filing a statement of claim, it is necessary to describe in it all the authorities that have not responded to the complaints, indicate all available facts and data in order to provide as much material as possible for the proceedings. It is possible to achieve a positive result in such a trial, but it often takes a lot of time and moral strength. But having achieved a positive court decision and roof repairs, you can not be afraid of rain and snow, knowing that the apartment will be dry.
Compensation for damage in case of leakage
Situations also arise when an application has been submitted to the management company, but no action has yet been taken, and the residents of the apartments below are already complaining about a leak. In this case, residents have the right to demand compensation from the management company for the property that was damaged as a result of its inaction.
To do this, you need to submit an application to the court at your place of residence, indicating the details of the problem and citing facts about the damage. It would also be a good idea to indicate in the application what damage was caused to the property by the management company.
It is very difficult to independently prove the fact of damage caused by a leak, so it is better to conduct an independent examination. But it is worth remembering that the costs of carrying it out will fall on the shoulders of the owner. If the court confirms the fact of damage as a result of the management company’s inaction, then it will have to pay the applicant the requested amount of monetary compensation.
Also, since the company charges rent every month, and the repairs were not carried out on time, residents have the right to demand that the management company recalculate the rent for a certain period of time. For the money that the residents transfer every month, a scheduled inspection of the roof should be carried out, but since such a misunderstanding occurred, as a result of which someone else’s property was damaged, the management company did not fulfill its obligations to the residents.
Which authorities to contact?
Those who are faced with such a problem always have a question - which housing or utility authority should contact. You can contact the Housing Office by phone and tell them about the problem, making a demand to fix it. In this case, you should write down the name and position of the employee who accepted the complaint, as well as record the date and time of filing the application. Typically, in such cases, the utility authority rarely responds properly to the problem, as opposed to submitting a written application.
Attention! According to housing and communal services standards, inspection of the condition of roofs of apartment buildings should occur twice a year, before the rainy season and after the snow melts, and all deficiencies identified during inspections should be eliminated in a timely manner.
Residents of the top floor can themselves remind the management company or housing office employees to carry out a roof inspection in order to protect their home from leaks.
The entire apartment building, and therefore its roof, general communications and other publicly accessible facilities, is at the disposal of the management company, which must be responsible for its integrity and performance.
What to do if the roof is leaking and where to go, as well as other important nuances of this problem are covered in the video:
