Water leak from upstairs, should I seek compensation?

[sydsider]

Just got an email from PM this morning and apparently there was some sort of water leak from upstairs which has since been fixed but has left a water stain on my ceiling. This is what she wrote:

"A while ago there was a water leak coming down from upstairs (through the manhole in the hallway). The leak was repaired. However it left a light yellow stain on the ceiling along the hall way (please find attached photo for your information). Since the water leak is repaired, the ceiling and wall is completely dry. The stain can be touch up, re-painted easily. This does not bother the tenant but she just wanted to bring it to my attention"

Should I be seeking compensation from anyone (not sure if it would be the upstairs owner or BC)? I have no experience in this department so any feedback is appreciated.

I've asked PM the same question and still waiting for her reply.

 

[wobbycarly]

How much compensation are you looking for? The tenant doesn't seem to care about it, so why not just leave it as it is for now. From the information provided, it doesn't seem to be getting worse.

You could then wait until between tenants, and get it touched up, or it will get covered over next time you get the interior painted.

Yes, it's annoying, but is it really that big a deal?

 

[pennyk]

Is the feedback from the PM from a builder, or just the PM/ tenants viewpoint?

My concern would be that if it does take more effort to repair than you think it will, you could end up carrying the costs, because its too late to notify insurers.

I would let your insurance company know and let them do an assessment to see what is actually required for the repair.

you would probably claim thru your insurer, and then the insurer would seek reimbursement from either the upstairs owner or BC... I think.

 

[vincenzo]

I'd ask my pm to let the bc know that your ceiling needs repainting, and if the bc thinks the owner above should pay, then the bc will give your pm the owner's contact details to chase them up.

I'd also mention to the pm to let the relevant party know how ceiling stains can reappear shortly after painting, so if this happens the relevant party will be paying again.

 

[Sim]

Insurance might cover it ... we've had several cases where water from upstairs unit leaked into downstairs, insurance didn't cover the source of the leak, but did cover the damage to ceiling downstairs.

Situation was a little different though - these were not strata units and I owned both upstairs and down ... not sure about this situation - might be a BC claim?

 

[sydsider]

Here's an update on the issue.

PM contacted BC and was told (in writing) BC is only responsible for fixing the leakage and if the leakage has caused a hole in the ceiling they would fix the hole but they do not cover the cost of repainting the ceiling, with or without a hole!

PM also said another unit she manages (different building) had water leaking from upstairs through the light fittings and ruined the carpet, LL had to recover the cost of replacing the carpet from landlord insurance as it wasn't covered by BC either.

Not what you would expect from common sense I think.

 

[Michelle Alden]

If the tenant hasn't complained about it then just leave this issue as it.